Deceiving Appearances
by Tainted-Dreamz
Summary: Cho starts off on her own with determination and a skill for playing the piano. However, with a turn of events, the past she's been trying to hide away is back for an encore. Cho x Draco
1. Awkward Acquaintances

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to! I do own the plot, so don't take that.

Song lyrics: "Right Here" by Staind.

This was an idea I came across thinking about while thinking about pianos. Isn't that funny? XD

My third fic…yes, I don't know why I'm counting. I'll probably stop after a certain number, but it's so much fun!

Warning you now, if you don't like the pairing of Draco/Cho, I suggest you not to read this fic.

Reviews are very welcome! Just no flames or any complaints about the pairing--if you don't like it, don't read it!

* * *

**Deceiving Appearances  
**

Her fingers ran over the fine, polished, dark cherry-wood. A sigh breathed slowly from her as she gracefully and quietly sat down on the cold stool. Her fingers clasped the round handles on either side of the wood in front of her, and she pulled slowly upward and in, as the ivory and onyx gleamed brightly against the darkness of night.

Touching the keys slowly, her fingers twitched to play the melodies that flowed easily into her head. Closing her eyes, she gave into the sweet temptation, as she lost herself in the music resonating in her ears.

_It was her escape._

It calmed her every time. It was an addiction…but mostly, it was to keep herself from being alone to her thoughts. The thoughts that would chase her, torment her, never leaving her alone. Therefore, she played. Played until she tired herself out, or at least until she fell asleep.

_After Cedric…_her eyes burned with remembrance. No one could understand. Her own friends tried to help, of course, but they just didn't know. They didn't know what it felt like to lose someone like that. She tried to get over it, she tried to go with Harry Potter, but that didn't work out so well. She still regretted her behavior that day. It was quite childish to run off like that, and it really wasn't Harry's fault.

Ever since that day, Harry had lost the spark in his emerald depths towards her. In a sad sort of way, she was happy about that. She knew she didn't feel for him the way he would've wanted, and he deserved someone else…someone _better_ than her. He deserved someone that would love him unconditionally, someone who would treat him well.

But determined, Cho had changed, just like Harry. No longer did she cry like she did; she willed herself to be strong. She, however, wasn't about to try at love anymore. At least, not until she had a steady job, and maybe a steady heart. There was always a risk in the 'game of love', but after she had placed her bets, she had lost a person she who was important to her.

Then fate had played around with her again, and she tried again with someone else…but this time, they hurtfully grew apart. She forbid herself to remember the memories that would haunt her at night, the "what-if" questions that swarmed in her mind. Every now and then, she would wonder how _he _was doing, if things were going well and maybe if he ever thought or cared about her.

Now, at 20, she was about to go out on her own. Her parents consented, half-heartedly, but she convinced them to let her move out. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, (she obviously didn't tell her parents this) but she planned to take things as they came. She thought that maybe she would try to study to become a medi-witch after obtaining that temporary job.

She played until dawn, and woke leaning over the piano. She winced from the uncomfortable position and stretched, eyeing her alarm clock warily. In 30 minutes, she needed to be at an interview for her new job. Raven strands fell into her creamy complexion, and she breathed softly, closing her eyes in tired response.

Cho made her way to the bathroom, flicking the light in the neat, clean, pastel-blue bathroom. She reached for the faucet handles, turning them quickly, then splashed the cold water on her face. She dried her face off, then reached for the toothbrush and toothpaste, quickly brushing her teeth. In no time, she fixed her hair, left it down, and wore a brown, hooded V-neck, acrylic sweater with a soft and shin-length skirt. The skirt was layered and thin, which made it very comfortable, and was a gentle white to complement the dark brown hues.

Her jewelry consisted of darker green, emerald stones. She slipped on brown clogs to match, and applied a bit of foundation to her face, and some clear lip-gloss. Cho grabbed her résumé, and blinked one last time in the mirror, certain she looked between casual and professional, and she apparated.

She decided since she had been going from job to job, she might as well get a temporary job until she figured out what she really wanted to do for a living. Therefore, the only job open so far was one at a bar. They were in need of a bartender, and frankly, Cho was very quick to learn the difference of certain substances and mixes.

Besides, just in case any of the customers got a little too close for comfort, or she didn't have her wand, Cho had already learned muggle self-defense when she took a trip to the muggle world to China. She picked up various martial arts and their contrasting differences, and felt quite prepared.

* * *

Here she was. The building was pretty sizable, it wasn't too big, but it definitely wasn't small either. Walking in, Cho noticed the place wasn't too shabby, it was classier than most bars she'd seen. The high bar stools were polished, the marble tables and counters were clean. The cabinets behind the counter held many different colored bottles with names she'd never heard of. Her dark chocolate eyes scanned the room until they rested on an onyx grand piano that stood in the corner. Before her eyes could linger, a young secretary looking person cleared her throat, motioning her to come. 

Cho did so, and followed the secretary into a rather large room with a wall that was a window itself. She met the back of a large chair, where she waited for the person behind it to spin around. Cho rolled her eyes at this, her mind starting to wander on different subjects. The desk was piled with paperwork, but the desk was kept in a somewhat orderly fashion. The room was vast, but there wasn't much in it. Cho was about to glance at a triangular bar that had an etched name, which, she assumed, would be the owner.

Before she could, the person in the chair spun around. She met silver eyes that had a light, faint, blue hue. She knew those eyes, from the first time she knew of his presence. Memories flooded Cho by the dozen, memories she didn't want to remember. What ever happened to the 'them' that used to be anyway? It seemed like the hazy memory just wouldn't come to her.

She mentally shook her head. Or maybe it was because she really didn't want it to. Whatever happened, they never really did talk to each other after that, and mainly avoided contact. He grew cold and distant…and she…she didn't feel like thinking about this now. She made sure her face didn't show any unwanted emotions. She could pretend, he could pretend. It would work out better this way anyway.

She noticed his hair was no longer slicked back, and some of his bangs fell in front of his face, so in fact, he still looked the same when she noticed him in his 6th year. His face was still pale and finely sculpted as she remembered it, and by the look on his face, he seemed bored and surprised. He still had remarkably soft, light-silvery hair. If it was possible, Cho could've sworn it to be shimmering.

That made Cho stifle a laugh. _Shimmering_? That reminded her of one of those ridiculous shampoo commercials. After glancing over his face again, she had to admit there was no doubt he was still handsome. As of now, she kept picturing him in the hair-flipping commercials, and it was killing her.

He obviously noted her amusement, for he blinked, and an eyebrow raised at her slightly. "What?" Cho shook her head quickly, forgetting that she was still staring. "Uh…nothing." He didn't press the subject, so instead, he gave a bit of a nonchalant shrug, continuing on. Cho took this as her cue, softly saying, "I'm here for the bartending job." She hastily handed him her résumé, waiting for his response.

He glanced over it then smirked, and mentioned casually, "You've been in quite a few jobs, Miss _Chang_." Not sure how she was to take this, Cho looked at him expectantly, wondering why he had to accent her surname with that odd drawl, until silver met mahogany, and he uttered the two words she'd been hoping to hear.

"You're hired."

Cho was amazed at how quickly he hired her. He just pretty much skimmed over her papers, and in two seconds she had a job? Cho was shocked, skeptically wondering if there was some catch to the situation. He might've at least hesitated at the fact that she had absolutely no experience whatsoever with drinks or _something_. The sound of his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"But not as a bartender."

She resisted the urge to gape, expecting something like that to happen. She held her breath, waiting for him to continue. When the couple seconds of silence dawned over her, she couldn't wait any longer.

"What!" She asked, eyeing him incredulously. How could he hire her when it wasn't even the job she was asking for!

Draco looked to her papers, then back up to her. "From what I've seen, you've also been very experienced with music. Especially the _piano_."

She stood quietly, wondering what exactly he was trying to propose. She wasn't keen to the idea of him hiring her without her own consent to his plans, but if he was hiring her for what she was thinking of…

His hand slid to his chin to prop his head up, and he continued. "We just imported a piano, as you've probably already have seen. Customers have been complaining about music entertainment issues, although I have no clue why it matters if you're too drunk to comprehend the music anyway. Nonetheless, we need someone with the skills to play. I trust you do?"

"This isn't what I asked to be hired for…" Cho looked at him incredulously.

"Then you don't accept?"

"I didn't say that." Cho frowned, hastily replying.

"Then what are you saying?"

His voice flowed smoothly after hers. His intense stare was starting to make her uncomfortable, although she wasn't about to give him the pleasure of knowing that.

"I accept." Her voice was confident and quiet as she breathed out, though her eyes betrayed the feeling.

He eyed her curiously, locking her gaze with his own and seeing her involuntarily shift from it, he smirked. The only difference with her seemed to be that she had her hair cut a little shorter than mid-back, and it was nicely layered. It was still parted to the side, with a couple long, thin bangs cut mid-cheek.

Her almond-shaped eyes were expressive and light, though seeming to hide something behind those dark depths. He looked her over up and down. She definitely didn't lose any attractive points. He noted her nice curves, and sat back. He had hid hidden regrets that began to cloud his mind from her entrance, and wasn't about to lose his blasé disposition.

She saw him glance over her, and fought the urge to blush and glare. Instead, her mouth twitched with a somewhat annoyance while she folded her arms. Her cheeks became slightly colored and she forced a 'thank you' towards him. Seeing him eye her even more, she controlled an instinct to smack him and stood up quickly, taking a step towards his desk. "Were you about to say something?" Cho boldly titled her head, giving him a small glare, her eyes flashing and challenging.

Clearly amused at her reaction, Draco stood up, towering over her 5'4" with his 6'1". Draco closed the distance between them, whispering in her ear, "Really now, do you sincerely enjoy conversing with me that much? I'm quite flattered." Cho rolled her eyes at this, and the look she gave him was screaming, _"Stupid, idiotic, git!"_ although he didn't notice. As he backed up, he motioned towards his door.

"I'm sure you know the way out."

Cho looked at him with surprise and disbelief. Was he kicking her out of his office?

Draco looked at her reaction, and to explain himself he hastily added, "Blaise Zambini will show you the basic rules and give you your uniform. He'll be down the hall to your right. After you're done with him, report to my office immediately, and we'll see how well your talent is."

Cho had already gone to the door, and when she turned around to face him, he was busy with his stack of papers. She was thinking of something to say, and almost as if on cue, Draco looked up at her expectantly.

Turning quickly around, she bit her lip, opened the door, and walked out. Once she was outside, she leaned on the door slightly, heaving a couple quick breaths. "_What is wrong with me today?"_

It slightly scared her. They hadn't acted like this since…

Cho shook those thoughts away. Only then did she start to really think about her current situation. What was she getting into, being employed by Mr. Ego himself? Not to mention she got an unnerving feeling every time she was around him. She was being put on edge…a feeling she hadn't felt in quite a while.

"Bah! Stop thinking about it, Cho. Just breathe, follow Blaise, get the stuff done, and you'll be fine." Cho bit her lip, smoothed out her skirt, and held her chin high as she walked down the hall to Blaise, pretending that nothing happened.

* * *

After getting her necessary items from Blaise (the list of rules were tedious and long, not to mention Cho was fighting the urge to drift too far off into space, although the uniform didn't look so bad) Cho spun around to follow the horrible hallway of her doom. 

The uniform she had been given consisted of a crisp, white, button-up collared shirt. It had the dark green business symbol on one of the lapels of the collar, and a large "C" was embroidered (Blaise's work. Who knew he took wand-embroidery lessons in Hogwarts?) on the left side in a dark green as well. The skirt was a bit shorter than the normal ones in Hogwarts she had gotten used to. It was also a matching dark green, pleated and plaid. If it weren't for the business symbol and her letter embroidery, she would've sworn she was wearing the Slytherin uniform. Other than that, she had a free choice in shoes, accessories, and etc., as long as it matched the uniform.

Shaking her head, she neared the door, hesitating before she knocked once. In a matter of seconds, the door was opened, and she was again faced with the one and only, Draco Malfoy. He closed the door behind him, and started walking to the left. Cho looked at his retreating back in confusion. Wasn't the piano in the other direction? She didn't question him, however.

He stopped so abruptly that Cho almost crashed into him, but luckily she side stepped so that she caught herself with the wall. Opening the door in front of them, Draco walked in, then stood by the piano with a strange expression that Cho couldn't read. Taking in a breath, she walked in as well, her eyes catching the piano. It was obviously newer than the one she saw before, although she didn't know why they didn't just use this one instead of importing another one, not to mention if it was older.

Cho gracefully sat, gingerly tracing her fingers over the keys, contemplating. Her mind was working furiously as she thought of the piece to play. Forgetting Draco's presence, (he had walked to a corner of the room to observe her from there) she began to play. At first, the tune was light-hearted, almost so allegro that, had she been paying attention, her hands would've collapsed minutes ago.

But she soon lost herself in the music, and with that her song melted into a familiar tune that she somehow recollected as she played.

_**Flashback**_

_Cho was having another sleepless night. She made her way to the Room of Requirement again, after discovering the antique piano that awaited her return. She itched to touch the keys, to play what her mind couldn't form into words. _

_Her mind was so jumbled up after those secret meetings with Draco Malfoy, the enigma. He never stopped to baffle her. He was the first in a long time that could make her blush as quickly as he did, (he sincerely held a fine record) not to mention he was the only one she felt at ease with. Unpredictable, sometimes they would just sit there, staring at the stars in silence, and other times they would just talk about classes, or whatever came to mind._

_But last night, they had shared a strange, unexpected kiss under moonlight, and soon afterward he ran quickly away, leaving her utterly confused. And here she was now, playing a song she created of him. It started out slow and melodious, but sorrowful and passionate. There was a melancholy twist in it, and as she kept on playing, it seemed to resonate like the blowing of the wind, fierce but gentle. Then she repeated the beginning, and added a chorus of notes that were filled with hope and waiting. The song ended slowly with a twinkling of forlorn stars. _

_She didn't notice that Draco had come in during the song, listening tentatively and standing behind her, deep in thought. Cho turned around, gasping quickly in surprise when she saw Draco. The soft blonde strands fell gently about his face, covering his eyes while he looked at something invisible on the ground. He didn't look up, but quietly whispered, "What was the song about?"_

_Cho stood, stepping towards Draco's tall figure and simply replied, "You." Draco sharply tilted his head at this, his eyes an intense flame that bore into hers, not bothering to hide his questioning surprise and interest. There was almost a plea of hope in his pale orbs, and he seemed to search her for a confirmation of something. Cho averted her eyes before she would get lost in his gaze. She walked past him to open the door and took one last look behind her. He was still standing immobile, staring thoughtfully at the piano, as if the song she just played was still playing. With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving a pensive Draco behind._

_**End Flashback**_

Cho gasped silently to herself as she finished the song. She looked up slowly to see Draco looking intently at her about a foot away, and she blinked before looking coyly away. _"He obviously remembers," _She observed. The situation was screaming _"Déjà vu!"_ in her mind. He was standing almost exactly like he did before, with the same look of contemplation, except he had turned his head to the window, filled with the night sky. His mouth was in a grim line, with a very slight twitch at one of the corners.

Cho bit her lip, and got up. She lifted a hand to push her hair behind one ear, and, glancing at Draco once, and started for the door like she had years ago. Her clammy hands fiddled with the doorknob, and she softly opened the door. As she closed it behind her, she waited a couple of seconds before she was about to leave. Then his voice, deadly low in a whisper not meant to be heard, uttered one word.

"_Wait." _

Her breath caught and a large knot formed in her throat. She could hear the longing, the regret, the sorrow…_everything_. She leaned her head and her right shoulder against the door, sliding down. It took all the will she had to not run back in. He hadn't meant for her to hear, after all.

* * *

The trip back to her apartment was hazy…almost like she just had a hangover. She remembered that Blaise had escorted her out…but then her mind went blank. Everything was just blurry…too blurry and dreamy, and it didn't help that his voice was pounding in her brain with a large sized mallet. Cho cradled her head, sighing. What was she going to do? And more importantly, what was _he_ going to do? He would always act as if nothing had happened, and it frustrated her beyond belief. Was he going to shut himself off again? 

Cho splashed some cold water over her face, brushed her teeth, combed through her hair, and eased into cute zodiac pajamas. They were of a dark-blue hue and extremely silky. She paced around in comfy beige slippers, questions forming and storing themselves in her mind just as new ones stacked up. Already she was getting a massive headache. She rubbed her head. Cho sighed heavily; she was in no condition to play the piano tonight.

"Erg! Shut up brain, and sleep!" she mumbled irritatingly to herself.

Maybe she would call Ginny tomorrow. The two had gotten incredibly close during a night at the astronomy tower where they both couldn't sleep. Ever since then, they had become best friends. Cho collapsed on a nearby couch and proceeded to look outside. She really needed a break, or some vacation, maybe a walk or _something_. This was absolutely ridiculous, there was no way she'd get all freaked out over some guy…it just wasn't like her nowadays.

Draco just had to be another ordinary guy…right? Her pride insisted on her independence, and she wasn't about to back down. The faster she got to schooling for that medi-witch job, the better. After all, then she'd be away from that temporary job of hers…although something in her brain told her she wouldn't be getting rid of that very soon.

Cho let out a large cat-like yawn, and buried her head into the feathery couch pillow. Her brain ceased to function as sleep lured her into its wonderful temptation. She didn't notice her eyes close as her world faded to black.

_I know I've been mistaken  
__  
But just give me a break and see the changes that I've made  
__  
I've got some imperfections_

_But how can you collect them all and throw them in my face?  
_

_But you always find a way to keep me right here waiting_

_You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting_

_And if you chose to walk away I'd still be right here waiting_

_Searching for the things to say to keep you right here waiting_

_

* * *

_

Yay! First chapter done! I honestly don't know what inspired me to go through with my idea, but I think it came out pretty well so far. I never actually thought about this pairing until I came across a fanfic with it while I was bored. It sure made a believer out of me! I've seen Draco with Pansy/Ginny/Hermione/OC, but not with Cho so much, so I decided to add to the Cho/Draco fics! Yay! XD And, as I am a person with strange tastes for odd pairings (for any FF fans, I'm infatuated with the Selphie/Seifer paring) and I just couldn't resist this one!

Oh, and this fic is loosely based on the song "Right Here" by Staind. Hehe! I say "loosely" because after I created this chapter, I came across listening to that song, and it just seemed to fit!

Anyway, like I said before, reviews are very welcome! I love feedback!

I'll try to make the second update as fast as possible, but I must warn you, I'm very bad about procrastination, and updates, so don't throw too much at me.


	2. Meringue Pie

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to!

Song lyrics: "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd.

I thought the song maybe described their relationship from Draco's POV. :shrugs:

* * *

**Deceiving Appearances: Chapter 2 Meringue Pie**

_Everything's so blurry  
And everyone's so fake  
And everybody's empty  
And everything is so messed up  
Pre-occupied without you  
I cannot live at all  
My whole world surrounds you  
I stumble then I crawl_

_You could be my someone  
You could be my scene  
You know that I will save you  
From all of the unclean  
I wonder what you're doing  
I wonder where you are_  
_There's oceans in-between us_  
_But that's not very far_

_Everyone is changing__  
There's no one left that's real  
So make up your own ending  
And let me know just how you feel  
'Cause I am lost without you  
I cannot live at all  
My whole world surrounds you_  
_I stumble then I crawl_

Cho heard the faint beeping of something in the background, and shifted groggily in her sleep. She breathed in deeply, cuddling the soft pillow under her and bringing her legs to her chest to harbor the warmth.

It hit her three seconds after. "OH BLOODY MERLIN!" Cho's eyes flung open as her scream echoed through the awakened city. Panting, she pressed all the buttons on the muggle-contraption in haste. It was a rather nice digital alarm clock. It had been a gift from Ginny, who taught her how to use it…but at this point, she was too panicked and out of it to remember which button turned the beeping thing off. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" Cho shook her head, running around the apartment, flinging clothes and toothpaste everywhere. It was only her _first_ day at her new job, and already she was late!

She hurriedly put on her uniform, making sure it was nice and neat…to some extent, and then put in a pair of long, silver hanging earrings. She tied her hair up in a ponytail using a green ribbon, and slipped on some white sneakers. Cramming down a blueberry muffin she found in the cupboard, she swallowed some pumpkin juice and brushed her teeth. Cho applied some clear lip-gloss, grabbed a thin jacket, (which she stuffed her wand in) and was out the door before something caught her attention. She eyed the distraction of silver beside the couch on the table.

It was a ring. Silver and thin, as well as very plain…just the way she liked it. Cho bit her lip as she slipped it on her ring finger on the right hand. With precise care, she turned the ring so that the engraved letters weren't visible unless you looked on the palm side. Touching her wand from its hiding place in her jacket, she briskly apparated to the beginning of her newest challenge.

* * *

And here she was…again. Cho flung the door open, letting herself in quietly, and looked around to see that Blaise was flirting with the secretary. Cho waited patiently there, expecting them to notice her eventually. Oh, how horribly wrong she was. As she waited, she eyed the bar wearily, taking in every detail, from the color of the ceiling to the tiny little dots on the floor. This had to have taken at least ten or so minutes, so she looked up at Blaise and the secretary…still nothing. At this point, Cho was getting somewhat annoyed, so she cleared her throat waiting for them to snap out of it, and…still nothing. Cho cleared her throat louder, nearly to the point of coughing. If any attention was being paid, it definitely wasn't directed to her. They certainly seemed like they were in some fantasy dreamland. 

She rolled her eyes. This was _ridiculous_. Cho walked up obstreperously, although they didn't notice. "Excuse me-" she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and looked up questioningly. The secretary and Blaise were on different sides of the room, presumably keenly intent on their work. "Chang." The voice was flat, and soon was followed by the appearance of the speaker. Draco seemed as if he could care less, and he tilted his head as a sign for her to follow him. Cho walked over, slightly astonished that he had dressed so casually. After all, wasn't he supposedly the owner of the place?

He was wearing a dark maroon hoodie that was gray on the inside, with jeans and sneakers that Cho had never seen before. They had some odd type of check mark…or something like that on one side of both shoes. What struck her as even more mind-boggling was that here she was, in front of a guy who claimed to completely detest muggles, and he himself was dressed like one!

What was the world coming to! It was completely hypocritical and didn't make any sense at all! "Why are you…uhm…" Cho pointed to his clothes, giving him a glance from head to toe to make sure the point got across. He smirked, continuing with his infamous and overused line, "Like what you see?"

Cho scoffed, rolling her eyes. She gave him a look, and he in turn started to chuckle. "You're not the only one who's changed, Chang." Cho tilted her head slightly, still holding on to his glance, but he looked away. It struck her as insanely odd…he didn't even have that usual drawl in his voice when he uttered the statement. Not to mention he was the first to break eye contact, and Cho shrugged mentally to herself.

* * *

She checked herself in, then walked over to the newly imported, older piano, plopping down on the dark brown bench. She poked a couple of keys, slowly breathing out. With nothing better to do, she turned around, taking in the view as well as finding that there was no one in the room. _"I guess Blaise, that secretary, and Malfoy left while I was preoccupied." _Cho thought. She shrugged, being alone didn't bother her…in fact, it made her feel more at peace. However, the only downside to this was that she'd get bored…_fast_. 

A customer walked in just then, and after looking around, spotted her. "Uhm…miss?" And before Cho knew it, she was behind the counter, mixing the woman a drink, thankful the bottles had labels. She knew she should've been playing the piano or something of the sort, but it was only _one_ customer after all…right? _"Ah well, I doubt Malfoy would kick me out for it." _Cho thought. And since she was there…Cho took out some vodka and sipped. Right then, she closed her eyes, letting the relaxing sensation take over. She began to drift off when someone's voice broke through her slowly impeding thoughts. Somehow, it was peculiarly familiar…but she just couldn't tell whose voice it was.

"Nothing like a good drink, eh? I think I'll have some vodka, too." With the mention of her drink, Cho's eyes snapped open, and she met the color of a cloudy sky. Cho winced, rapidly averting her eyes. He was seated right in front of her, waiting. She pulled out a glass to pour it in, handing it to him, her eyes discovering a sudden zealous interest in the patterns on the counter. She wondered whether he was irritated or not, but she didn't want to risk having to look into those eyes again…she shivered.

"Cold?" he inquired, and honey brown connected with a flickering gray for a moment, and she hesitated before giving a weak smile and leaving to go put away her glass. Once she did so, she walked from behind the counter, seating herself back to the instrument like a child caught red-handed, waiting for their punishment. She waited for his reprimand, his long lecture…"Chang." he stated frankly, pausing, "What were you doing behind the counter?" Cho restrained herself from rolling her eyes at his tone. He sounded as if he was rebuking a three-year-old of some sort. "I was mixing a drink for the miss." Cho motioned told the young woman sitting, unaware of their conversation.

"And, pray-tell, what _inspired_ you to do so?" he voice was calm, but mouth turned into a slight agitated frown and his eyes were forming into a slight stormy blue. Cho shook her head, standing indignantly. _"He's acting so irrationally!"_

Cho crossed her arms, "It was only one person." She glanced tenaciously to the side, nibbling on her lower lip as her fingers tapped against her crossed arms.

"_One_ person?" He looked at her incredulously, scoffing.

"Okay, so maybe two," Cho slightly reddened at the remembrance of the scene a couple minutes before.

"_Two_!" Draco pressed on, his voice rising while he sneered at her.

"_Okay_ then, THREE!" Cho flung her hands up in the air, snapping at him. Her eyes flashed. "Though I hardly count _you_ a person. What does it _matter_, anyway!" She managed to keep her voice soft, although it rang with the anger that was coursing through. She wouldn't lower herself to fighting like this in front of people.

"What does it _matter_? I _specifically_ told you that you weren't going to be a bartender, and you disregard my instructions! You could've _poisoned_ someone!" Draco stood, his temper a menacing spark behind his cool exterior.

Cho couldn't believe him! She undeniably felt insulted, and her cheeks flushed. Why was he being so impossible? "I'm not STUPID for heaven-sakes, Malfoy!"

Draco rolled his eyes, scoffing again, "I would beg to differ."

Cho sent him a deadly glare, and reduced her voice farther to a murmur, "Do you remember what house I was sorted into? _Do you_? I happened to do my portion of studying before proceeding to apply for this work. Besides, how could I possibly poison anyone when the bottles are _labeled_?" Cho administered all her calm to point over to the cupboard behind the counter. From this motion, Draco noticed a strange silver shine from Cho's hand. As her hand fell back, Draco leaned slightly closer, observing unwaveringly. Cho was muttering angrily to herself about some "insolent fool" when Draco interrupted her blatantly.

"Chang." Cho whipped her head up to see him staring at her. Where, she didn't know, until he continued on, "Lift up your hand…" Cho's eyes widened slightly, and she threw her hand behind her back, swallowing involuntarily. "Why?" Cho asked discreetly. Her eyes glanced around for something to distract them from the awkward situation. "Why _not_?" Draco looked at her impatiently. "Come on, just show me your hand!" He extended his arm, reaching out his hand for her to take, but she backed away again.

"No!" Cho blurted out. Draco's eyebrows raised up in surprise, then his eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her, and she took a step back. "_Chang_…" he spoke with exasperation. She took another step back, and Draco ceased, massaging his temples and letting out an irritated sigh. "I just want to see your _hand_, Chang." He initiated his step towards her again, and she continued to back up until she felt the stiffness of the wall.

He appeared right in front of her, closing the distance and making her feel utterly uncomfortable. Being only inches apart, she could smell a whiff of his cologne. She inhaled deeply…the cologne was intoxicating, and Cho struggled to keep her mind on track. How was she supposed to concentrate when _that_ was clouding her mind? It was unmistakably unfair play. _"That cologne should be banned."_ Cho decided. Her heartbeat accelerated as he came even closer, almost restricting movement. He leaned down, his breath tickling her ear. "Your hand," he whispered. She had to think fast. No _way_ was she going to lose to the likes of _him_. Instantly, a plan formed in her mind. Cho hoped that Draco wouldn't catch on…

She turned her head to look at him, keeping his eye contact. Stealthily, she slipped her other hand behind her back, gradually pulling the silver ring off her finger and clasping it tightly in her opposite hand. She took her hand out, flipping it to show that nothing was there. She smiled to herself while Draco took her hand, regarding it carefully. She had almost declared a score in her mind, but then he said, "Show me the other one." He held the wrist of her inspected hand, waiting for her to show the other. Cho bit her lip, very aggravated that her plan didn't succeed.

With no brilliant plans in mind, Cho grudgingly revealed her other hand, balled up into a fist that clasped tightly around the jewelry. She waited for his reaction…and was very shocked when she gazed up. He was _laughing_…at _her. _"Run out of ideas, _Chang_?" Bewildered, she blinked at him. How in the world did he find this so amusing? He was nutters! Absolutely _nutters_! His eyes had changed from a stormy gray to a light, serene blue. And were they…twinkling? He continued to laugh, and she noticed that his smile was actually pretty nice…

_Whoa._ Okay, obviously she was going nutters, too. _"Don't think about him like that…not now, Cho. Not now…that was in the past." _Cho shook her head, shutting her eyes. Draco had stopped laughing, but he stood there watching her with a mischievous smirk on his face. They broke contact when a bustling bunch of burly men walked through the doors, seating themselves at the tables. Cho casually turned around, seating herself once again at the piano.

Expecting Draco to already be gone, she resting her hands on the keys when his breath tickled her ear once more, "I solemnly _swear_ I am up to no good." Cho laughed, turning around to comment, but he had already strutted towards the hallway. With a smile, Cho mumbled, "Pompous arse." She watched as Blaise walked in, mixing drinks without a second thought, yet looking remarkably suave. Cho observed the process as he did the same thing over and over. _Glass, pour, mix, and serve._ Although the liquids varied and were enticing to observe, the whole process wasn't exactly inspiring her with any songs.

Cho turned around with a sigh again when she noticed that rain drops had clung to the windows, sliding down slowly as they began to increase. Suddenly, Hermione's voice filled in her head as she remembered encountering her while she walked down the compartments. She was trying to find an empty one, and found that Hermione had been alone, singing very beautifully to a song… not noticing Cho coming in. They had started up an immediate conversation and had acquired a bond through music. From there on out, Hermione would sing and write lyrics, while Cho would create the melodies to it on the piano…a remarkable duo.

Cho grinned at the thought, reminiscing on how Hermione had explained that the song had sung before was a muggle song, "Sunday Morning" to be exact, by the group Maroon 5. She proceeded to sing it again, and Cho remembered the notes exactly, surprising Hermione later on when she played it for her…an arrangement of the tune that Cho had come up with herself.

"_Perfect."_ Cho thought, beginning to play while the rain beat steadily against the glass of the windows, in beat with the song. More customers appeared, clapping to the song and lightening her mood. She had mostly took requests of songs (if she knew them), but when the requests were all done, she'd play a couple songs she composed herself.

After a while of continuous playing, Cho stopped for her shift was over, though it was hardly a break. It seemed that many would scoot her from table to table, telling their interesting and humorous stories…not that she minded. She was quite happy of the fast acceptance, and listened and remembered each unique tale.

Cho needed a drink…her throat was really dry, so she excused herself from the chattering table to get some rum. No later did she do so when she was practically knocked over from an excited hug. "Cho!" Cho immediately recognized the voice and hurriedly turned around. "Ginny!" Cho hugged the fiery red head. "So, how are you," she paused to look over at the sulking figure beside the beaming woman, "…and Harry?" Ginny's bell-like laugh resounded, and she glanced over to the dark-haired figure. "I'm doing great! Oh, Harry's fine…although you won't believe how hard it was to get him to come inside," she shrugged.

"And how are _you_? You haven't been calling me in a rather long while…Hermione's getting anxious, too!" Ginny shook her head, "Tsk, tsk!" She shook her finger at Cho jokingly. "Is that any way to treat your best, and most _awesome_ friends?" She crossed her arms in mock anger. Cho shook her head, rolling her eyes, and laughing. Cho led them to an empty table, motioning them to sit. "I'm doing pretty well, actually." She went on to tell them about her newfound job, and gave a shortened summary of the events that happened there the day before.

"So _that's_ what's up with those colors," Ginny motioned to Cho's clothing. If that bloody git lays a hand on you, I'll hex him, mark my words!" Ginny crossed her arms, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Cho laughed again, "Don't worry, I think I'll be able to take care of myself against that smirking prat. By the way, how's Hermione doing?"

"She's doing well, although I have absolutely no clue how she can put up with Ron. You'd think she'd go nutters by then!" Ginny shrugged again, ordering some red wine.

"Ginny," she began casually, "do you think you could persuade Hermione to come by here sometime?" Cho inquired, hopeful that she would do this favor.

The redhead turned to face her. "I dunno…I mean, I'm not sure Hermione would like another encounter with the ferret, if you catch my drift."

"Please, Ginny? Just try, and if she won't, then I won't ask you again," Cho pleaded.

Ginny sighed, thinking to herself for a couple of minutes. Then she grinned, "Okay, but if she won't then you better not ask me again...and you definitely owe me for this. If she decides to come, it'll probably be a couple of days before she shows up, so don't go bonkers on me. Out of curiosity, what exactly do you need 'mione for?"

"She's going to sing," Cho responded.

"Oh!" It finally dawned on her, "Do you really think you can convince Hermione to apply for a job here? What if Malfoy won't hire her?"

Cho shrugged, "I guess it's worth a try anyhow. It can't be _too _impossibly hard to persuade them both…right?"

Ginny looked at her skeptically, then glanced over to Harry. "I think I'd better be going…I think I've tortured Harry enough for one day," Ginny grinned sheepishly, giving Cho a farewell wave. She motioned to Harry, who was more than willing to get out.

* * *

Cho laughed quietly to herself, still seated, sipping at her rum. In the very next moment, she noticed a tall shadow looming very near her spot, so she turned around, curious to see whom it was. Unexpectedly, it was Draco, seating himself beside her, holding a rather large bottle of vodka that he was currently swigging to no end. 

Cho watched as he ordered another bottle, downing that one in minutes. "You're going to be wasted by tomorrow," Cho stated in an amused, but slightly concerned way.

He turned towards her, placing the vodka on the counter, "I have a high alcohol tolerance." He smirked, and Cho frowned.

"What was that song you played before?" He asked, facing before him and taking another huge gulp of another one, finishing that bottle.

"Which one?" Cho asked, eyeing the increasing stack of bottles wearily.

"The first one you played," he replied, seeming to drink up another bottle as fast as he could inhale.

"Oh…that one," Cho smiled to herself. "It's a muggle song, called "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5." She took another sip of her rum, idly resting her head against her hand.

The blonde turned to her, making a funny face and giving her a confused look. "_Meringue pie_?"

Cho laughed, "High tolerance level, eh?" Draco sent her a dirty look. "Not meringue pie, Maroon Five!"

"Whatever you're mumbling about _Chang_, I can't comprehend…_moon rye_?" He raised his eyebrows in a frustrating attempt to decode what she was trying to say.

To his annoyance, she laughed even more. "No, no, no! _Maroon __Five,_" she enunciated each syllable, speaking slowly and clearly.

It was already past closing time. Blaise and the others had left, leaving a deserted room with only two occupants…her and him. She observed him for a couple minutes. Seeing him return to his drinking, Cho got up, stepping out of her chair. Accidentally misplacing her footing by underestimating the tallness of the barstool, she ultimately fell backwards into a certain blonde male, who stood up and caught her with unusual ease. Her back was up against his chest while his arm was snaked securely around her waist.

"Can't get enough of me, eh?" he asked, smirking as she attempted to get off.

"You wish," Cho mumbled, sincerely wondering why she had to be clumsy at this particular moment. The raven-haired girl attempted to walk forward, then found that his arm was still restraining her movement. "What're you doing?" She asked indignantly. She attempted at struggling, but to no avail. Instead, she stood motionless, hesitating.

"I rather like it here," he whispered huskily into her neck, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She closed her eyes, inhaling sharply.

"You're drunk," she stated with slight aggravation.

"Well, aren't you a bright one?" he retorted. She could feel his mouth form into a smirk before he lifted his head. "I like this ribbon, you know…" he tugged at it and it untied easily, raven hair cascading down her back gracefully.

Cho opened her eyes, shaking her head. Her voice was delicate and quiescent, "Draco…"

He rested his forehead against the back of her head, still smirking. "So now it's Draco, eh?" He took his free hand, slowly tracing his fingers up her arm, the sensation evoking another shiver from her. "You know…you could be my someone…" he breathed into her hair, half-joking.

Cho gulped, biting her lip, "Draco-"

He continued on, his voice low and coaxing, "Can you take it all away?" There was a hint of a plea for forgiveness in his voice, and Cho shifted uncomfortably, focusing ruefully ahead.

A troubled expression spread across her face. "You know I can't…" she replied, and almost concurrently, she felt Draco tense. She felt his arms drop from her, a frigid silence following.

Not knowing what else to do, Cho let out a regretful sigh, walking out of the bar without a single glimpse back, incapable of facing him.

* * *

She found herself at her apartment again…her mind riddled with perpetual thoughts. Cho tediously changed, brushing her teeth and plopping down on the couch. Yet again, she was too overwrought and confused to even regard anything about the piano, so she laid her head dejectedly on the plumed pillows. 

How in the world did she get into these predicaments? Was she really _that_ unfortunate? _"But you yearned for his touch..."_ Cho shut her eyes and quivered. She shoved her thoughts away angrily, holding her head in her hands. She felt immensely horrible…especially after what had just transpired. His voice was haunting her inside, and she couldn't help but deem herself a bit cowardly.

She grasped for the ribbon in her hair, and comprehended its disappearance. She inhaled as she recollected, and gradually brought her hand back down. Laying on the firm couch, she twisted about, trying to fall into a sleep that wouldn't come to her easily…regrets from years before muddling her mind recurrently.

_Oh, nobody told me what you thought  
Nobody told me what to say  
Everyone showed you where to turn  
Told you where to run away  
Nobody told you where to hide  
Nobody told you what to say  
Everyone showed you where to turn  
Showed you where to run away_

_Can you take it all away?  
Can you take it all away?  
When you shoved it in my face  
This pain you gave to me  
Can you take it all away?  
Can you take it all away?  
When you shoved it in my face  
This pain you gave to me  
No, this pain you gave to me_

_Can you take it all?  
Can you take it all away?  
This pain you gave to me  
Can you take it all away?  
This pain you gave to me  
Take it all away  
This pain you gave to me

* * *

_

**I Heart Chocolate-** Thank you very much for your review:D You must've been surprised when they walked in on you! I'm also a piano player, but I've never had that happen to me before. Lol! I did associate Cho with the piano…I don't know why either…somehow it just seems to fit her.

**Sabe-** Thanks for the awesome review:D I actually used to not like Cho either, but after a while, I understood her actions, and I didn't dislike her as much. Now I'm writing a fic about her…lol! I'm also guilty of reading fics, but not reviewing them. I'm usually extremely lazy when it comes to that…XD It's so amazing to find another Selphie/Seifer pairing lover:high-fives: What exactly is your pen name? I tried to type in Sabe, and I couldn't find you! I was also thinking about doing a website to support the pairing, but alas, I'm no good with html either. XD I think I'm going to take up your suggestion and write a Selfer after this fic, though! You've inspired me to do so!

Wow, second chapter done, and I am SO making progress…please note the sarcasm. XD

Anyway, I hope this chapter's good. If it isn't, go ahead and start throwing the apples while explaining to me how I am an incompetent fool that can't write fanfiction worth crap…XD

Okay, now, make my day and maybe review me:D I love feedback!

I'll try to make the third update snappy, but like before, I must warn you, I'm very bad getting stuff done (including updating fanfiction) so don't hate me too much! XD


	3. Starlight Memories

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to!

Song lyrics: "Stars" by Switchfoot.

…Eh you'll see why I used the song. :D Anyway…on to the third chapter…w00t!

* * *

**Deceiving Appearances: Chapter 3 Starlight Memories**

_Maybe I've been the problem  
Maybe I'm the one to blame  
But even when I turn it off and blame myself  
The outcome feels the same  
I've been thinking maybe I've been partly cloudy  
Maybe I'm the chance of rain  
And maybe I'm overcast  
And maybe all my luck's washed down the drain_

_I've been thinking about everyone  
Everyone, you look so lonely  
But when I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars  
I see someone else  
When I look at the stars, stars  
I feel like myself_

Cho opened her eyes with slow deliberation, her pupils soon filling with the bright sunlight cast in her dorm. However, the beams of light were too intense, and in seconds her eyes were shut once more. She commenced to immediately rub them profusely…she never had been a morning person. With a long stretch, a cat-like yawn, and much needed force, she was able to miraculously drag herself from the comfort of the inviting bed.

She examined the room, looking for something that would trigger her mind…and her eyes rested on her not-filled books. Grabbing them and stuffing them into a nearby corner, she ran into the bathroom to slip on her Hogwarts robes. After long minutes of brushing her teeth and making herself look presentable, she left her hair down, satisfied. Cho adjusted her prefect's pin in nervousness, giving one last glance to the mirror to fiddle with her robes, smooth out invisible wrinkles in her skirt, and re-center her Ravenclaw tie. At the last minute, she applied lip-gloss, ran back to gather her books, and checked the time to make sure she wasn't late.

When she finally finished analyzing everything, and re-checking to make sure she had all her supplies, she made her way to the Great Hall. She hastily slipped into a table with her chatty friends, not bother to get breakfast quite yet. The Ravenclaw causally observed the tables around her, idly scanning the Gryffindor table. A few waved, and she produced a weak smile, turning around to search the Hufflepuff table. Once she did so, she suddenly decided to skip the table for now, for obvious reasons.

It reminded her too much of…

Cho shook her head fiercely, receiving questioning looks from the occupants at her table, whom she replied by smiling sheepishly. Oddly, she didn't notice herself scanning the Slytherin table until she drifted off in her thoughts for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn't aware that she was innocently spacing off, until she met a pair of pale eyes that rested on hers. A curious spark illuminated them, causing her to blink dazedly, and she allowed herself to be led away by another current of drifting thoughts until it occurred to her exactly _where_ she was staring, and _who_ she was unintentionally staring at.

The white-blond hair, pale face, curiously crystal eyes, and smug smirk let off a few alarms…Cho jumped involuntarily, blinking profusely, and averting all eye-contact…but before she did so, she noticed his smirk widen as he witnessed the realization hit her. Cho flushed, mentally reprimanding herself for drifting off like she did. _"Now the prat's going to think I have the hots for him or something stupid like that…" _Cho thought to herself angrily, and annoyed.

Leaning her head on one of her hands, she contemplated an excuse if she was confronted by him, (which she was positively certain he would) but before she could begin to think of a plausible cause, the entrance of Dumbledore interrupted her. She (with shameful admittance) was hardly paying any attention, although she had mastered the act of pretending to be keenly interested. Only one detail caught in her brain, and that was something about a schedule change…but she didn't quite know the purpose. It didn't worry her, nor did she frankly care. They were all probably going to get messages like they did before, anyway.

Her thoughts faded back to the 6'1" problem, and after much thought, she decided that if he came near her, she'd just hex him into oblivion. It was effortless, simplistic, and it sounded like a pretty efficient plan to her. With this in mind, she began her way to her first class, unworried.

* * *

Before she could walk two steps, her owl dropped a message into her pile of books, and had taken off. Eyeing the message with interest, she balanced all her books in one arm, taking a second to maneuver her other arm to somehow manage to tear open the envelope. Smoothing out the letter itself, she began to read. It explained that only 6th and 7th years would be experiencing the schedule change, and that it would only be temporary (although it would last the whole year). Cho skimmed through the letter, pondering why it didn't have her updated schedule. She re-skimmed it until she noticed the print that showed through on the backside. 

Pressed for time, she read impatiently, fearing that she'd become dreadfully late. Seeing no one in the hallway, Cho walked furiously and read, not bothering to look up to see if anyone was there until a noise alerted her, and she glanced up at the last minute. All her things scattered in every single direction possible, and a muffled, "Ouch!" could be heard from the other person. Apologizes tumbled out profusely as she picked up her things with the help of the unknown person.

Very grateful and utterly embarrassed at her foolish haste, Cho glanced up to identify the person, recognizing the dark hair and green eyes almost immediately. Surprised at seeing Harry, she shyly averted her eyes, adding to her multiplying embarrassment. He scratched his head, (for lack of anything else to do) and offered Cho an awkward smile…obviously just as uncomfortable as she was. He assured Cho that the bump wasn't a large deal, and proceeded on his way.

As his figure disappeared behind a corner, she shook her head, deciding that she was definitely a safety hazard. Cho read the rest of the letter, no longer worried if she was tardy. What struck her as peculiar was the fact that she was assigned to go to the Astronomy Tower at this moment. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Was a class going to be held there? If so, she wasn't very aware of it…but then again, she hadn't exactly been aware of anything lately. She started into a sprint. After all, she had a couple minutes left to get there. She'd need to pick up the pace…she was unfortunately in the opposite direction of the tower.

* * *

Cho neared her destination, trotting up the stairs by twos, but pausing to push the heavy door open. She inspected place before her, puzzled and dismayed to find only one person there. Her spirits sunk lower after she registered the fact that she recognized him to be someone she was attempting to avoid: The silvery hair, green robes, tall figure… 

Cho cringed inwardly when he turned around. Cho had hoped that maybe she made a mistake…but he confirmed his identity. In turn, he seemed mildly surprised at her presence. Swiftly looking away, she soon regretted the action after realizing that he still recalled the events of earlier that day. His smirk was apparent, and she could feel the pressure of his ego begin to fill the whole room, putting excruciating pressure on her brain. Putting up with him seemed more like an unmerciful and bizarre punishment rather than a class or duty. She rolled her eyes with displeasure, deciding to re-skim the letter, yet again. No one else had showed up, and she was beginning to wonder if she missed a certain detail that she overlooked.

However, before she had the chance to, a peculiar clicking sound was heard from the door. She curiously looked over to Malfoy, their eyes meeting for a fleeting second before it dawned on them. Alarmed, they dashed to the door, attempting spells, asking for help…but to no avail. Draco twisted the doorknob, rattling and shaking it violently…the door not budging. "What's wrong with it?" Cho inquired frantically, watching in horror as she found herself locked in with him. "Does it really look like I know?" he answered hotly, obviously very irritated, finally kicking the door with pure disgust.

She rolled her eyes again, walking away from the hopeless door (and the hopeless git still attempting to open the hopeless door) to retrieve her letter. She flipped it hurriedly, her eyes finally resting on their objective. "We're supposedly supposed to know what to do when we get here…" Cho's mouth set in a grim line as she concentrated on the words before her. "What's that supposed to mean?" Draco let go of the door, sending her a mixture of bewildered and aggravated looks.

He walked over to her, glancing down from above her, casting a shadow on her as she read on. She looked up, aware of the distraction, and glared. He sneered, and she continued to interpret the letter. "It's thanking us for our time and effort of fixing the inconvenience. Our payment will be sent to our company…?" Cho shook her head, casting the letter aside.

Draco leaned on a nearby wall, the back of his head resting on it as he grumbled. He sighed exasperatedly, "In other words, they gave us the wrong bloody letters!" He crossed his arms, muttering obscenities. Cho stifled a yawn, bringing her knees to her chin, and resting her head peacefully. "I guess so," was her soft reply. His eyebrows shot up at her as he turned his attention to the sleepy Ravenclaw. "What's with you?" Cho shrugged, idly observing her surroundings. "Just a bit tired…that's all." She noticed his blue orbs eye her suspiciously, but he ceased to prod her with questions, and instead, plopped down beside her. He brought one knee up, while keeping the other straight. He rested one elbow on his bent knee, and kept the other arm carelessly resting on the other leg.

Cho yawned into her hand. She couldn't understand why exactly she was so tired. After all, she had enough sleep last night. She crossed her arms over her knees, then tilted her head to rest it on them. Obviously, Draco noticed her sleepy demeanor, for he turned to her, shaking his head. "If you're _that_ tired, why don't you just go to sleep? All your yawning is even starting to make _me_ feel tired." She caught his eye and nodded, her brown-hues dancing with laughter from his comment.

With one sleepier yawn, she broke contact and shut her eyes, inhaling gently as she fell into a serene slumber.

* * *

Cho stretched a bit from her uncomfortable position, opening her eyes to find that everything was dark. She rubbed her eyes, feeling the cold air breeze through her. It took a few seconds for her to realize where she was, and she shivered, pulling the extra robe around her for warmth. _"Wait…extra robe?"_ Cho stopped, pondering over the phrase she was thinking. She brought a hand to her chin, unable to detect the peculiar sense that came over her when she thought this. Attempting to figure it out, she took a glimpse around, finding everything being the same except the fact that everything was dark…and Draco wasn't wearing his outer robes. 

Then it hit her.

She looked down, searching for the emblem of green, and found it staring straight up at her, mocking. She was about to fling it off of her, but then remembered the frigid air that would freeze her alive. Obviously all the rustling that she caused stirred the attention of the Slytherin, although the only thing he said was, "Look." He pointed with his arm slightly to the side, far...far beyond what she could see from the opposite wall she sat at.

Biting her lip, she noticed he stood there, not cold at all, just staring up at the sky in a fixed manner. She stood, still clutching the robe, and made her way over to where he was standing. She placed one hand down to brace herself. Then, peeked her head out into the open sky, following the direction of his arm with a tilt of her head.

Cho gasped, her eyes widening at the beautiful sight. It was simply _amazing._ The moon was full, and the stars danced along brightly beside, in intricate patterns across the sky. Ivory against a dark indigo, dissolving into the deepest shades of violet that faded into an onyx colored sky.

Draco's arm retreated, and she broke out of her bemused state. She turned to face him, and with quiescence, said, "Thank you." She smiled sheepishly, and he waved it off. "You were shivering so hard, it was annoying." At this, Cho began to laugh quietly, earning perplexed glances from Draco, who was obviously questioning her state of mind. _"He can ruin a good moment with ease." _Cho shook her head amusingly. She stared off in front of her, and at that moment, a meteor shower had started. A flash of light passed by them, and Cho noticed a shooting star pass by, and she inhaled sharply, turning Draco's attention to the winter sky.

"Make a wish," she ordered. Draco shook his head, raising his eyebrows. "Make a _wish_? _Why_ would I want to do _that_? That's a childish and naïve-" he stopped after realizing that she wasn't paying attention at all. Her eyes were closed in deep engrossment, her head slightly bent forward, causing strands of long, raven hair to glimmer ethereally in the starlight.

He sighed, grumbling to himself before he propped his head up with his hands in defeat. He shut his eyes quickly, evident pique written all over his face, and made an expeditious wish. He looked over to Cho, who was staring straight ahead with a smile that hinted at a smirk. She didn't say anything…she didn't have to. He already knew what she was thinking, and he scoffed. Looking away, he glared at a nearby wall.

"I was only thinking to myself."

"Ah huh."

"I concentrate better with my eyes closed."

"Yep."

"I wasn't wishing for anything, mind you." He turned around to cross his arms, annoyed at her obvious disbelief.

"Okay."

He could see her laughing to herself, making him scoff and shake his head. He noticed her begin to yawn again and smirked.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" His eyes were gleaming deviously, looking her up. He decided to have a little fun…after all, he _was_ getting bored.

She crossed her arms, "Pshhhhhhh, like you'll do anything." She waved his suggestion off nonchalantly, rolling her eyes.

With an air of mystery and suave, he walked over and stood behind her, his hands on her waist. He leaned his head on her shoulder. "I'm quite _bored_ you know. Why don't we liven things up a little?"

In response, Cho turned her head away from him, scoffing, "I'd rather _not_. In fact, I'm not bored at all! And now if you'd please, Malfoy…" She turned to get him off, but it backfired, leaving him with his arms completely around her waist, her back up against him. She crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side and glaring at his right arm.

"Malfoy…"

His hands began to run up her stomach, earning themselves hard slaps away from Cho. He pleaded, "Come on, Cho! Merlin knows you need a good shag-"

"Draco!" Cho yelled, crossing her arms again, flushing from anger and embarrassment.

"_See_? That's the spirit! You're already screaming my name, and we haven't even started yet!" Draco smirked at her, amused at her reaction.

Cho covered her face with her hands, shaking her head and groaning with exasperation. "You're a perverted little _prat_…you know that?"

He chuckled, his smirk widening, "Oh, rest assured, I may be perverted, but I'm quite the opposite of _small_."

She slapped a hand on her forehead, mumbling, "What am I going to do with you?"

He whispered into her ear, "Anything you want to, _darling_." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, then winked at her, running his fingers up her arms. She shivered involuntarily at his touch, and he blew at her hair.

"Why don't you just shag Parkinson?"

At this, Draco made a face in disgust. "Me…with _her_? That's just…_ew_."

Seizing the moment from his temporary brain lapse, she untangled herself from him and walked over to her sleeping spot from before, seating herself comfortably. She buried her head in her arms, returning to her former sleeping position. She heard footsteps come to her, but she was too tired to move.

He crouched, placing an arm around her sleeping form, and whispering into her hair amusingly, "You're not afraid of me doing something to you while you sleep?"

Her muffled answer proceeded shortly after. "Marginally." His quiet chuckle was the last thing she heard before she drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

When she awoke, she noticed that she was comfortably sleeping in her own bed in her dorm. "Was it all a dream?" She asked herself out loud, placing her hand on her face, blinking slowly. 

She got up, walking over to the bathroom and stared into the mirror, seeing her robes still on, and the extra one that was still placed over her. She assumed that Draco had carried her back to her dorm. After all, since he was also a prefect, he knew all the passwords, like she did. She stared at the green emblem in the mirror, grinning sheepishly; glad it was the weekend. That'd give her _plenty_ of time to return it.

* * *

Cho awoke with a start, breathing heavily and looking around to make sure of where she was. She glanced at the alarm clock beside her on the couch she was sleeping on. She still had an hour before she had to leave for work. Cho exhaled slowly, rubbing her face with her hands. Why in the _world_ did she dream about that…especially _that_ memory? Her seventh year at Hogwarts… 

Cho shook away those thoughts. The dream made her long to go back…she did have a most _interesting_ year during that time. She smiled to herself, getting up to fix herself some pumpkin juice. With nothing better to do, Cho got ready, getting dressed, brushing her teeth, etc. She decided to leave her hair down today…after all, she didn't exactly have a _certain_ ribbon thanks to a _certain_ someone.

Today she decided to slip on a pair of green, hemp, low Converses. With everything nearly completed, she grabbed her wand, twisted her ring so the initials weren't exposed, reached for a dark black jacket, and neatly apparated back to the bar.

* * *

She sincerely hoped he didn't remember. If he did, he'd definitely be in a cranky mood the whole day, unless he was already in a cranky mood because of all the alcohol he drank from yesterday. Cho sighed at the memory. What an awful way to end the day…and an even _more_ awful night! Cho slightly flushed at recalling her dream. Why did she remember? She still couldn't decipher the meaning behind all her recent flashbacks, not to mention the fact that she curiously and "coincidentally" stumbled across Draco along the way. 

Was fate playing some kind of cruel joke on her again? And how was it, that after all these years, Draco was _still_ an enigma to her? Everything he did just seemed to be…unpredictable. The word was practically he himself. His actions could contradict what he was really trying to convey, one minute he'd become flirty, the next suave, then perverted, after that angry…or dark and broody. How could anyone keep up with his mood swings? _"He normally only has major mood swings around **you**, if you haven't noticed…"_ Cho made a face. _"Shut up, brain."_ Cho chided herself.

She walked inside, checking herself in and hurriedly plopping on the piano bench, trying to avoid all possible contact with Draco as much as possible. After only one day, everything had already become awkward…things feeling clumsy and out of place. She clenched her hands together, bringing them up to lean her chin against them thoughtfully. Her hair fell gracefully around the curves of her face, the silky smooth texture hanging softly limp as she closed her eyes, trying to clear out her mind of all thoughts in meditation.

Of course, she had drifted off so long that she didn't notice the hand that brushed through her hair and a sudden whiff of breath that was blown playfully into her ear. Cho flinched in shock, looking up suddenly to meet a mischievous pair of light eyes. He was bent over, his face inches from hers, regarding her smugly with an air of amusement. Uncomfortably, Cho flushed slightly, biting her lip and turning her head away casually. She breathed out, turning her attention on the nice, sparkling floor.

"I don't think so." His voice cut through the heated silence as he placed his hand under her head, lifting it up and turning it towards him. He caught her gaze for moments unmoving, as Cho held her breath uneasily. His mouth curved into a smirk as he maneuvered his other hand to stealthily sneak to her hand, efficiently slipping the silver ring off of her finger. Before she knew it, he dropped his hand from under her chin, throwing the ring up into the air and catching it in an arrogant manner. The words, _"I win."_ were plastered all over his face, filling her with agitation.

With quick speed, she got up, using her wit and prior knowledge of him to her advantage. Mustering the sweetest smile she could, she temporarily distracted the blonde, giving her enough time to grab his hand and kiss it daintily. As she slowly let go, she plucked the ring with from his grasp, smiling to herself in satisfaction when she noticed that he was still in a surprised state. Then, using the muscles she had earned from quidditch, she sprinted to the bathroom just as Draco had regained his senses, and had begun to run after her.

She could hear Draco muttering and growling to herself as she ran faster, hearing his footsteps pound behind her, signaling the fact that he was catching up. They ran around in circles, a quite amusing sight to see for Blaise and the secretary. They turned their attention to their work, pretending to stay unnoticed to the hilarious racket and scene the two "love birds" were causing.

"Quit flirting, you two. It's _quite_ distracting." Blaise smirked at them teasingly as they simultaneously halted in their tracks, turning around to give him a death glare. Blaise immediately cleared his throat, whistling at nothing in particular, acting as innocent as he could. Draco scoffed, shaking his head, while Cho rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She took this chance to flee to the bathroom, Draco catching on and running after her, but she already shut the door, pressing all her weight against it.

Draco finally caught up, slamming against the door, attempting to push Cho over. "Fuck." He whispered hoarsely, and punched the door lightly. A small laugh escaped from the other side, and he smirked, backing slowly away from the door until he heard the shuffling of feet, signaling that Cho had her guard down. Waiting a few seconds longer, he heard her shuffle back to the door, and not hearing anything, shuffled away. Counting to three, he slammed against the door, and tumbling in, he held out his hands to balance himself.

Cho left out a startled gasp, then crossed her arms again, an annoyed expression written over her face. Her hands were on her hips, her eyes glaring at him accusingly. "What do you think you're doing? Are you having a gender problem today?" She pointed to the large letters and block figure, signaling that he had crossed female territory.

He raised his eyebrows, then feigned hurt. "Oh, but I'm the perfect _guy_ for any female. I'm a cross between sensitive, daringly brave, and…_macho_." He placed a hand on his heart, pretending to act sappy and caring, earning large grins from Cho.

"Ah ha! So you're a gay trucker, then?" Draco's expression was priceless. His face went into a defeated and agitated pose, a frown playing on his lips as he found he was yet again out-witted. He began to walk up to her, causing her to step backwards, until she backed up into a wall. _"Why in the world does this **always **happen to me!"_ Cho thought furiously. Even if she did outsmart him, he would always find a way to pin her into a corner. It just didn't make any sense at all.

Leaning his palm flat against he wall, he stuffed the other hand in his pocket, crossing one foot over the other with the toe of the shoe facing down on the floor. His heel and knee were in the air sideways, which made his legs form something almost like a cross, but not so rigidly horizontal, and more slanted. Inclining his head, Draco leered down at her, causing Cho to hold her ground, staring unwaveringly back up at him.

He was about to retort when the noise of the door bursting open filled their ears. A small gasp was heard, and Cho looked out from under Draco, who lazily turned his head. A mother was holding her young daughter's eyes, wearing a scandalized expression, and leading the daughter away, muttering something like, "Don't look at the _bad_ people, sweetie."

Cho looked absolutely embarrassed and mortified, while Draco smirked devilishly, letting out a few chuckles in sheer mirth. Cho crossed her arms, huffing and glaring. "We didn't _do_ anything!" Draco grinned mischievously, leaning forward towards her, and she pushed at his shoulders jokingly. "That doesn't mean I want to _remedy_ that, mind you." She added, taking this chance to let herself out from the situation. As she turned to walk out, he caught her wrist, tugging her back to him. She turned, halting with inquiring eyes. "Meet me in my office at exactly 10 p.m."

He released her arm as she nodded, and she heard his footsteps behind her as he walked out of the bathroom, turning to make his way to his office. She headed back to the piano, noting that there were three more hours left before she was to report to him.

* * *

The three hours went by quicker than expected, although she almost forgot completely about the time because she was having a blast with the customers…who would've thought? She played short, lively, and animated tunes on the piano, filling the room with light-hearted spirits. There was dancing everywhere…and if it wasn't dancing, it was clapping, singing, or talking. Just for kicks, she even played a waltz to watch the couples lightly swaying around with gracefulness. If anyone new had come in, they would've mistaken the dancing as a formal party, instead of a bar. 

When she acknowledged the time, she sneaked out as inconspicuously as possible…her heart racing. She almost skipped down the hallway, nearing the door to his office. She breathed in slowly, looking straight ahead of her at the door, then looking down at the doorknob. Her hand reached out to pull the doorknob, and as she did so, she knocked once, to alert him that she was there.

When she finally walked through, he was standing up, bent over his papers with one arm rigidly straight, held to support him, and the palm of his hand on the corner of his desk, his fingers hanging over the side. Blonde strands swooshed around freely while he turned his head quickly, scribbling at a record pace. She would've proclaimed his indifference, but the engrossed look in his eyes said otherwise. Once he completed the last of his scribbling, he placed his pen down. His attention diverted to her nonchalantly, then walked over to the door, holding it out for her.

"I want to show you something."

* * *

**mnemosynesque-** Thanks for your review! (And the compliment, too!) :D I never thought my writing would be such an influence, though…and that makes me feel special! XD Lol! Thank you again for taking your time to write a review! 

**hAzElEyEs -**Wow…three reviews! You're like…a fanfiction writer's dream! XD I always thought Draco and Cho would have their humorous times…and then their sad times. Their personalities are so different! Lol! I think I've been influenced by fanfiction too much…That being said, thank you for finding that spelling error! I normally try to read/check over my work…but then again I'm lazy. XD I don't like grammar and spelling errors, and I would've never seen that one…so thank you again :D

**StormwolfX3-** Hehehe! Thank you for reviewing! Yes, procrastinators unite! XD Lol! I'll try to update as soon as possible…ooooh, I like pixie sticks! Ooh, scary squirrel…very hyper squirrel! Did I mention pixie sticks are good? Especially when you're tired…lol! Watch out for the next update!

**boblina-** Thanks for reviewing…and the compliment, too:D Teehee! I hope you like this update! I'm sorry it took so long!

Oh boy…third chapter done! I hope it wasn't confusing or anything…XD If it was, feel free to ask any questions! I was originally planning to keep on going with the scene, but I felt that I was really taking too long to update, so I'll save the rest for the next chapter! Anticipate suspense, drama, angst, and romance in the next chapter of Deceiving Appearances!

…Can you tell my sanity has run out the window?

Tell me what you think! And if you're not as lazy as I am…maybe you'll review? I'd be much obliged:D

Okay, now it's time for me to get to working on the fourth update…but this one might not be as quick as the last two…XD School's back on, and my vacation days are over. I'm sure many of you know what that's like. If I don't update soon…eh…don't burn my WHOLE house down, k? At least save me some chocolate or something…


	4. Violets and Forget Me Nots

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to!

I also do not own the quote, "In serious literature, nothing happens by accident."

Song lyrics: "Blue and Yellow" by The Used.

Fourth chapter…phew! I finished it! Anyway, enough of my rambling, on to the story :D

* * *

**Deceiving Appearances: Chapter 4 Violets and Forget-Me-Nots**

_And it's all in how you mix the two  
And it starts just where the light exists.  
It's a feeling that you cannot miss  
And it burns a hole, through everyone that feels it_

_Well you're never gonna find it  
If you're looking for it won't come your way  
Well you'll never find it, if your looking for it_

_Should've done something, but I've done it enough  
By the way your hands were shaking  
Rather waste some time with you_

Cho raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. She was puzzling over what he could possibly want to show her that was so important that he'd call her over to his office. His eyes connected with hers in seconds, and she could've sworn she saw them light up, but as soon as it came, the moment passed.

Cho smoothed out her skirt in languidly, as he passed by her to grab his wand, take her hand, and mutter unintelligible words. Cho felt the regular sensation of being apparated as she watched the ground disappear until everything felt…_black_.

She grasped his hand slightly tighter, suddenly feeling her feet upon the new ground. She tossed her head around, biting her lip with utmost concentration as she glanced around. Remembering her hand, she jerked it off, receiving amused looks to the back of her head from the pale-eyed male.

She scooted away and noticed the pretty scenery. They were standing on a large balcony, the railing consisting of intricate spiraling leaves and violets. Cho looked up and around, resting her eyes on the railing, then incisively turning towards him.

"This is…-"

He interrupted her with a curt nod of his head. He gave one look at the sky, then placed his hands on the railing, leaning forward and watching her.

"We still have some time before it happens, so why don't you come with me?"

He asked it as a question, but it came out more like a statement, so a tiny smile played across her lips as she accepted his invitation, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully, then called his broom over to him. Once he seated himself, he looked at her expectantly, and she in turn blinked at him.

"Are you going to get on the broom, or are you just going stand there?" He inquired impatiently. Cho laughed hesitantly, hurrying over and plopping herself behind him.

She clasped her hands together tightly, hoping he wouldn't make her do what she had been attempting to avoid…

Draco sighed dramatically with exasperation. "Merlin, Cho! You're acting as if you've never ridden a broom before!" He turned around to face her before he added sarcastically, "I guarantee you'll have a fun time "flying" in the air if you don't hold on."

She made a sour face, sticking her tongue out at him while he smirked at her and took this as his cue to turn back around. She placed her hands lightly on his sides and could feel him roll his eyes as he took her hands and placed them around his waist, securely.

After he lifted off, the ride wasn't longer than a couple of minutes. She took in the view from her seat, eyeing over the tiny structures, flowers, plants, and trees that filled her vision. As they neared a secluded area, Draco slowed down, beginning to land, as Cho pondered over the place they were stopping at.

Once he did land, however, he took her hand, leading her through a beautiful, vine-engrossed, stone arch. Passing through, Cho gathered her wits about her, still attempting to figure out where exactly he was taking her. The place seemed rather familiar…but the memory was just out of reach.

They passed by shrubbery filled with splashes of pastel color, the dark hues of green contrasting nicely with the light hues of lavender, light oranges, whites, reds, pale blues, etc. Cho noticed the morning glories shriveled up in sleep, awaiting the morning light. A couple cherry-blossom trees were scattered about here and there, the soft, pink-ish petals flowing in harmony with the tune of the wind.

A river reflected steadily in the light, the water coursing through slowly. It seemed to come from far beyond ahead of her. It ended near the right side of this field, splitting the earth's soil in sloping curves.

Another arch similar to the one before was ahead. As Cho walked through this field, it was filled with rows beyond rows of white tulips, and white and yellow lilies. Cho awed at the sight of the snowy flowers, mixed with splashes of gold, eloquently placed in different patches.

The lilies dominated the field, and the tulips were shaped into little circles around the area, outlined with stones. Draco pulled her along the swaying fields of pure white while she gaped, her eyes filling with the images of the flowers.

Nearing yet another arch, they continued to march through the oncoming fields of blooming colors. Different shades of blue and purple were intermingled about each other, creating an allusion of periwinkle in the morning light, or an indigo tint in the darkness from afar.

"Larkspur and lilacs…" Cho murmured to herself quietly, and she noticed his eyes turn towards her for a brief second, confirming her assumption. He didn't reply, instead, he continued forward to the next arch.

Cho looked ahead anxiously, noting that the river was growing slightly wider, and assumed they were getting nearer to the source. Clusters of perfectly dark crimson and ivory roses bathing themselves regally in splendid moonlight, tipping their buds open to the streaming darkness.

"Why all the flowers?" Cho turned her head, looking up at him expectantly, but he smirked slightly, tugging her with a bit more urgency.

"You'll see," was the only reply.

As she entered through the final arch, she halted to a daydream-like stop, softly letting go of his hand. As he felt the fingers release from his grip, Draco watched her, stuffing his hands in his pockets thoughtfully, and turning his attention to the waterfall ahead of the rows of flowers.

She remembered. The violets and forget-me-nots…this place…all of it came back to her at this very moment. There were various assortments of purple-hued violets, as well as a couple of white violets sprinkled in the mix here and there. Lavender forget-me-nots with tiny yellow dotted centers intertwined infinitely in large, sloped hills.

"I must be dreaming…" Cho whispered hoarsely.

The petals blew facilely and delicately, blending together, as if a gentle tune in legato in the world of music. She took in the waterfall, the dark, tiny ripples and rushing sound of water soothing and calm. A few huge trees cast their shadows over a couple of sections of violets, completing the scenery of what seemed more like a resplendent painting, rather than an actual setting.

When she finally broke out of her trance, she stared at the tall back a few feet in front of her, slight wonderment in her eyes.

"You…remembered…" Cho began, slowly and cautiously, her eyes fixed upon his figure.

His shoulders raised upwards slightly in a shrug, but she could see him tense from the remark. She placed her hands on her hips, grinning at his back, then walked up to him, giving him a hug from behind. Immediately, she felt him loosen from the gesture, and his hands lightly covered over hers.

She drew back quickly, with Draco turning around in surprise.

"Uh, uh!" She wagged her index finger at him, and in return, he smirked. He began to walk towards her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and Cho walked backwards until she unfortunately backed into a tree.

Cho groaned when the back of her head came in contact with the rough bark. Not _again_. He placed his arms on either side of her, pinning her to the tree.

"Y-you can't do that!" Cho stammered out. Draco's smug look inflated.

"Really, now? What're _you_ going to do about it?" He challenged, his tone low in her ear. In an act of arrogance, his smirk grew wider, and his eyebrows shot up for a brief second to complete his taunting.

She made a sour face at him, leaning down to pick a handful of violets, and threw them at his head, accumulating petals all over his hair. He shook his head vigorously, swapping the last remaining petals out.

She laughed brightly, running around the field, while he chased after her playfully. When she finally ran out of breath, she stopped, tripping lightly as he caught up to her. As she tripped, she grabbed onto the front of his shirt, bringing him down with her on the soft bed of purple.

Draco supported himself up on his arms, panting and breathing in deeply, while Cho let out the last few of her laughs, supporting herself up on her elbows. She looked up, finally noticing that her action had caused their proximity to increase, as she was inches away from his face.

His eyes connected with hers in a long gaze. They were of the brightest silvery-blue, like moonlight bathed in the pools of the sky. Before she knew it, he was leaning in closer, and her eyes began to close slowly, the feel of his forehead leaning against hers, and their noses touching gently.

She wanted to give into the new tingling sensation resonating within her throat. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, the light touch of his fingertips. Her mind was growing heavy with each delayed second, she felt intoxicated, entranced. Her chest pounded faster, humming in her ears…she longed to give in so badly…but something in her brain just wouldn't let her.

It screamed for logical reasoning…something she really didn't want to use right at this moment. But it was already one step ahead of her, something in her mind clicked, just as thunder resounded across the sky.

They hadn't even noticed it was raining, let alone thundering until just then. Cho looked up, trying to catch her breath. Her stomach was tossing and turning, doing flips of all sorts as she stared up at him. He was gazing straight at her with intense, smoldering, fervent eyes.

His hair was soaked, raindrops sliding down the loose, hanging ends of his bangs. Her own bangs clung to her head; the wet and darkness accentuated the color of her hair. She turned her head away to the side, unable to maintain his gaze. She needed control before she did something stupid, like snog his face off.

She had to keep reminding herself. It was a rather long time ago, after all. Why should she rekindle something that should've already ended? What was the use of going after a doomed relationship, anyway?

The moment had faded…Draco stood abruptly, obviously not in the mood to walk all the way to retrieve his broom in the wet soggy rain, he summoned it over. Cho hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist as he lifted off to go back to the balcony. On the way there, she couldn't resist the temptation of resting her head on his back.

Truth be told, she was huddling to him for warmth. After all, she had just come out of the rain, was slightly tired, and was absolutely freezing cold. She closed her eyes for those few moments, cherishing the short ride as much as she could. Once they landed, she tiredly stepped off onto the hard floor, shivering slightly at the cold gust of wind.

* * *

Draco led her inside to his room, Cho eyeing the house curiously. It still looked the same…nothing had changed. Reaching his room, he rummaged in his closet for smaller items of clothing that would fit her. 

"Here." He spoke without emotion. He seemed a bit sore from the whole scene from before, and had returned to his usual cold, stone-faced self.

He handed her a white, silk, button-up, collared shirt, jeans, and a belt. He led her to his bathroom, showing her where the towels were. Immensely grateful, she thanked him, took a quick shower (in fear that Draco was waiting on her so he could use it), and was out in ten minutes.

His clothes weren't too terribly large on her, and she laughed at her reflection as she walked out of the bathroom. However, it turned out that Draco had also just taken a shower. He was clad in only a towel, and Cho gulped, willing herself to look away.

"See something you like?" Draco asked innocently, although his expression was far from it.

She looked at him, rolling her eyes and scoffing. "I think I left something in the bathroom." Before he could retort, she retreated back to his bathroom, shutting the door soundly, and leaning against it. She heard his quiet chuckling through the door.

"Damn." She muttered to herself, rubbing her head. What was she getting into? Sometimes she just had to ask herself again. And what was up with those mood swings of his, anyway?

"Don't answer that, brain." Cho shook her head. Just a couple of minutes to herself, and she was already talking to herself. How pathetic.

She walked back out, pretending to have gotten whatever the imaginary item was, relieved to see that Draco was now fully clothed. He led her back outside again, and she tiredly rubbed her eyes, straining to stay awake.

However, when she looked up into the sky, she blinked twice, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It was the same exact sky, the colors, the stars, everything looked the same…she couldn't believe it! How was that possible? They weren't in the astronomy tower!

Cho looked over to Draco questioningly, who he, in turn, just smirked.

"Seems very familiar, hmm?" He commented.

"This seems too much like a book…like some peculiar accident." Cho murmured, watching as the shooting star passed by.

"In serious literature, nothing happens by accident." He continued to stare out into the blackened sky, and she observed him with a keen interest.

"Make a wish." She stated, closing her eyes as she did before.

He, however, didn't close his, and when she opened hers, he was staring straight at her, as he had been doing so from the beginning.

Suspicious, Cho inquired, "What did you wish for?"

Draco answered, unfazed, "If I tell you, my wish will go away."

"How do you know?" Cho countered softly.

"I just do."

He regarded her for a moment, as if to study her, or read her for some type of reaction. Seeing her wondering expression, he stepped closer, halting directly in front of her. He stayed still for a few quiet moments, the rushing of wind becoming the only sounds heard other than their breathing.

_It was happening all over again._

Cho tilted her head in a downwards motioning, standing immobile and quiet, feeling the rush of wind dance with her hair and smoothly slide over her face.

He approached her, hands stuffed in his pockets, watching the figure that was standing under him. She was the only thing who kept his sanity…yet could drive him up the wall. Sometimes emotions were a funny thing.

He shook his head silently at the thought. He released a hand from his pocket to touch her. She was such a beautiful thing…the only light leading to his escape at the end of dark tunnel in his mind.

He leaned his head down, lightly pressing his lips to her forehead, releasing slowly, and resting his forehead on hers. He could hear her breathing increase slightly from a hitch in her throat. He stopped when their lips were almost touching…barely there.

She took her wand out, barely moving her lips when she did so, and felt herself being transported back…but before she did, she felt the faint brushing of her lips against his, the scent of him clouding her mind.

The night was of an onyx, with dark tints of azure strewn into an indigo with charcoal. Dark silver beat against intense shadows of ever-present clouds, the wind howling in defiance, leaving the dawning of the morning in obscurity.

She apparated right beside the apartment complex. Cho looked up into the stormy, cloudy sky, raindrops soaking into her skin, although, at this point, she was beyond caring. She let them fall, her hair clumping strands together, her dark eyes peering listlessly into the dark hues of the night sky, and her hand, still clutching the wand, shaking.

_What was she running away from?  
_

_And you never would have thought in the end  
How amazing it feels just to live again  
It's a feeling that you cannot miss  
It burns a hole, through everyone that feels it_

_Well you're never gonna find it  
If you're looking for it won't come your way  
Well you'll never find it, if you're looking for it.  
_

_Should've done something, but I've done it enough  
By the way your hands were shaking  
Rather waste some time with you_

_Should've said something, but I've said it enough  
By the way my words were faded  
Rather waste some time with you_

_

* * *

_

**StormwolfX3- **YAY! My updates are better than pixie sticks? …wow…that's a really big compliment, considering that pixie sticks are soooooooooooo good. XD Thank you so much for reviewing! Yay! The next chapter shall be coming your way, soon!

**AutumnKate-** Yeshyesh, Cho and Draco rock! I lurve them…I should give out Cho and Draco plushies. :D Stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks so much for your review!

**lala-** YAY! I'm glad you love it :D Thank you for your review!

Alrighty! I finished the fourth chapter…w00tw00t! XD BTW, if you see any spelling mistakes, I apologize immensely (but if you'd like to point them out to me, that'd be fine, too)...and I'm also terribly sorry for the shorter update! I've been trying to update for a while now, and I have this essay that's due soon and stuffs…so the chapter came a thousand words short…XD

I'm so hyper right now, it's even scaring me! XD Maybe I had too many pixie sticks…or maybe that cheesecake. Mmmm, cheesecake…XD My sincerest apologies to all my reviewers/readers for the slow update! Evil teachers that stuff a billion-million-thousand-hundred projects all in one week. Gah!

Ladadadadadada, I'm so tired I'm happily hyper :D

Has anyone else noticed that nowadays they play "Right Here" by Staind a lot more on the radio :shrugs: How odd. I noticed this today because it came on like…thrice in two hours while I was painting my project.

…I need some sleep…

Did I totally bomb this chapter, or was it slightly good? Share your opinions with a review! I'd be much obliged :D

Fifth update chapter-ness time! Oi, I already have the plotted planned out for the fifth chapter…wait…when do I _not_ have the plot planned out? XD And the drama continues in the next installment of Deceiving Appearances!


	5. Rubber Ducky

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to!

Song lyrics: "Be My Escape" by Relient K.

The lyrics were a bit lengthy, so I chopped a few pieces (chorus parts).

* * *

**  
Deceiving Appearances: Chapter 5 Rubber Ducky**

_I've given up on giving up slowly  
__I'm blending in so you won't even know me  
__Apart from this whole world that shares my fate  
__This one last bullet you mention  
__It's my one last shot at redemption  
_'_Cause I know to live you must give your life away_

_And I've been housing all this doubt  
__And insecurity  
__And I've been locked inside that house  
__All the while you hold the key  
__And I've been dying to get out  
__And that might be the death of me  
__And even though there's no way of knowing  
__Where to go  
__I promise I'm going because…_

_I gotta get out of here  
__I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake  
__I gotta get out of here  
__And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you to be my escape_

Cho opened her mouth slightly, staring up into the sky with forlorn eyes. She dropped down onto the brown, soggy, earthy ground, her wand lying beside her, neglected. Memories of events that happened before in the rain came rushing back; memories of what happened the night before clouded her mind, creating a pounding rush in her mind.

Her head titled to the side, her eyes closed, her face painted into an expression of sorrow and discomfort. She clutched her arms slightly for warmth, sitting on the ground, trying to sort out her thoughts.

Shaking her head slowly, she let go of her arms to hold her head.

"I…don't know anymore…I…I just need to get out of here…" Cho managed to whisper, before attempting to stand up again. She misjudged her strength, forgetting how fatigued and tired she was she started to sway slightly. Cho closed her eyes again, trying to regain her balance as she let out a deep breath.

Cho treaded to a nearby tree, forgetting the cold rain that seeped through her clothes into her skin, forgetting that she left her wand sitting on the ground, forgetting that she was tired, forgetting everything she could, having no intention of returning to her room today.

The tree was tall, large, broad, and only one leaf was left around inspecting the tree. It was a darkened brown from being drenched in rain, the bark letting out loose dirt and sap. She ran her hand lightly around the bark in front of her, soiling her hands with dirt and mossy growth.

Cho walked around it completely, then, finding a good indention to place her foot, hauled herself up to the first branch. She held onto a branch above her, maneuvering herself so that her feet could find another foothold from another branch near the upper branch she was holding onto.

On and on it went, until Cho finally looked down, seeing a branch snap and fall freely down the tree, a steep fall from where she stood. The branches below her created a complex web of thick and thin threads into an intricate design of their own all around the base of the tree. She admired this with interest and fear, fingering her hair thoughtfully, and looking back up the tree, holding the branches from either side.

Her breath was raspy and shallow; she let out a couple of coughs, ignoring the fact that she was getting sicker than she thought. Cho placed the back of her left hand to her cheek, feeling the dead cold reciprocating back to it. She closed her eyes for a second, putting the same hand against the other cheek, feeling that it was as frigid and lifeless as the other.

She examined her hands for a couple seconds, noting that they were soaked and plump from climbing, reddened, dirty, and there were a few scrapes here and there. A cold burst of wind swept through her, and she felt a cold chill run up her spine. The small uniform she wore provided no protection against nature. Her skirt danced freely with the wind, her blouse stirring restlessly.

"_Escape_…" The word rolled off her tongue, picked up by the wind and carried off into the deep, silvery sky.

She plopped down on the branch she was on, feeling dizzy again. She leaned her head against the branches, and finding a comfortable position, she stared out tiredly, her breath still shallow, but slowing down. Then she closed her eyes with reluctance, seeing black, unaware that she had fallen asleep. The rain continued to pour down, her wand lying a few feet away, drowning in pools of mud, and a reflection of grays in the sky.

* * *

Draco paced around the floor of the manor, in the exact same room Cho left him in an hour before. His hand was running through his hair with aggravation, and his jaw was clenched in frustration. His eyebrows were knitted together in deep contemplation, a scowl outlining his features. 

"Why does she _always_ do that?" He yelled bitterly at nothing in particular.

His bangs were strewn across his face freely, his eyes a burning silver. He was glaring at the wall with such intensity, that if he could glare with anymore vehement, the wall would disintegrate under the gaze. He crossed his arms, looking downward, biting the inside of his cheek.

"And she calls _me_ the prat…" Draco mumbled under his breath.

He threw his hands into the air, sitting down in a nearby chair, leaning his arms on his spread legs, watching the marble floors with disgust. He finally looked up at the wall, talking to no one in particular. "It's my fault, isn't it?" He spat, heaving a deep sigh, and clenching and unclenching his jaw.

He got up, heading over to his long trench coat, but then stopped. "Malfoys don't apologize," he mumbled. He eyed the wall, then looked back to the trench, then trice again. He licked his lips, exhaling softly. He gave the trench coat one last look before mumbling, "Fucking shite to bloody hell," and grabbing the coat, headed for Cho's apartment, thankful that he had her address with her other information when she applied.

He started at a brisk walk, replaying different situations and dialogs, trying to find a suitable apology that he could possibly say to her, anything to make her see his sincere regret. He gulped nervously, shoving his hands into the long beige pockets of his coat, his hair and coat equally wet from the rain. He gulped again, clenching his fists, realizing that he was already at his destination, unprepared.

He eyed the apartment, looking up the windows of each floor, and the small balconies for each one. Taking one step, he noticed something weird under his foot, and in looking down, he lifted his foot, bending down to inspect the object or thing.

He picked up a muddy wand.

His eyebrows flew up in surprise and bewilderment. He immediately recognized it as a certain Asian's wand. He looked around desperately, his eyes searching in haste until they rested upon a figure sleeping in a rather large tree.

"Bloody hell." He whispered hoarsely, examining the height of the tree compared to the branch Cho was sleeping on, which was nearly the top.

"How did she manage that?" He asked, giving the tree an odd look of bewilderment.

He ran to it, inspecting it as Cho did, looking for a place for his feet. He kept his eyes up, checking on Cho while he climbed as fast as he could, earning a couple of scratches and cuts on his hands, as well as sap. Once he got up to her, he shed his coat, wrapping her body in it snugly, then took out his wand, holding her to him and apparating them to the inside of Cho's apartment.

Once inside, he placed her gently on the couch, running around in circles to find blankets and towels, and using warming spells on her. Gulping, he looked at her drenched clothes, slightly flushing when he started to unbutton her shirt, trying to keep his thoughts straight. He gulped again when he finished undressing her completely, then immersed her with blankets.

Draco scratched his head, sighing and grabbing a chair to sit in. He sat backwards, leaning his arms on the back of the chair, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep on his arms, facing the couch, utterly exhausted from the whole drama.

"I just hope she won't kill me when she wakes up…" Draco mumbled to himself.

* * *

When Cho awoke, she felt stiff, sore, her throat felt blotchy, and she felt really sick. Cho rubbed her eyes carefully, sitting up slowly from her aching muscles. Something was odd about it all, but she just couldn't place her finger on it. 

Cho rubbed her head gently, pulling the blankets slightly from her, and then she let out a loud gasp, a soft whimper, and a slight scream. She was absolutely naked from underneath the sheets, not exactly recalling how. She remembered being outside in the pouring rain, climbing the tree, and sleeping in the tree (something she slightly regretted). Horrified, she looked around quickly, her eyes resting on Draco's sleeping form, and immediately, she relaxed.

Taking up the covers, she got up, still slightly wobbly, and reached over to the innocently sleeping blonde, pushing his hair away from his face, planting a tender kiss on his head, and stroking his head lightly…until his hand grabbed her wrist. She looked down at him, waiting for him to let go.

"I was about to take a shower…" She started off, hoping he would get the hint and let go.

He stretched, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand, still holding onto her wrist and smirking. "_Perfect_. Can I join you?" His smooth, seductive tone emitted laughing, from Cho, who, in turn, shook her head.

"Do you _ever_ give up?" She asked with exasperation.

He grinned, "If I did, I'd never get a shag, now, would I?"

She slapped her forehead, "Is that _all_ you ever think about? Honestly…with all your hormones it's amazing that you haven't gone after guys yet…" She mumbled the last bit, shaking her head with vigor, wondering why she was beginning to sound like Hermione trying to deal with Ron.

He didn't hear the last part, and looked up at the ceiling, eyeing down the wall until he finally looked back to her. "Well, you know, we could always talk about alcohol…or purebloods…or how Slytherin is better than all the other houses…"

She blinked at him. "_Never mind_." She enunciated, turning to leave again before he stopped her.

"Oh, come on, Cho! It's the least you could do to repay me for saving you." He arched his eyebrows and then winked at her, "After all, it's not like there isn't anything I haven't seen…" His smirk grew wider as he gave her a once-over, causing her to turn around forcefully, only to be pushed up against him anyway.

"Malfoy…" She put a slight edge into her warning tone, crossing he arms instinctively, and becoming rigid.

His fingers traced patterns across the front of her above the blanket as well as her neck.

She shook him off, and he backed slowly, forming a hidden smirk behind her back.

"_Ouch_…rejected…" He held a seductive and hurt tone, continuing to step a couple of feet away to make it sound like he left the room.

Once she thought he was gone, she lost her rigid posture, her shoulders sinking. She exhaled in relief, holding her head in one of her hands, and holding up the blanket with the other.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" She whispered softly to herself.

He crept silently back up to her, holding her arms with her hands, breathing into her ear, "Anything you want to."

Aware once again of his presence, she attempted to resist, trying to pull free, but he held a slightly firmer grip. He caressed her skin with his feather-light fingers, one hand across her stomach, while the other put her in a daze, stroking and tracing over magically around her neck. She let her arms go limp by her sides and surrendered while her eyes closed in response, the back of her head tilted against his chest.

Her breathing aroused in a quicker pace. He blew softly at her neck, whispering unintelligible things, the passion of it all causing Cho to exhale with delectation. His mouth began to massage her neck, while leaving heated kisses and sucking on her shoulders, all of it causing Cho to go into a dream-like state, breathing deeply, letting herself being swept into the intensity.

"We can't do this…we should stop…" Cho was losing control quickly, inhaling deeply, trying to regain her thoughts that were fluttering away like saw dust with each of his touches.

She felt the warmth from him dissipate as he pulled away. She turned to face him, and a sly grin graced his features. "You can't tell me you don't want a piece of this," He held an arrogant, but leering posture, provoking her to try and deny it.

She scoffed loudly, gulping to herself, and turning around with haste, unwilling to let him win. She dismissed him completely with her hand, and he caught it, grasping her hand with his, draping it around her waist area intimately while the other was higher up, leaving her hand there, outlining her features, his hair tickling the side of her face, his head buried in her neck.

Her eyes forced themselves open as a cough resonated through her body. She felt him stiffen, letting go of her immediately to rummage through her cupboards.

She instantaneously brought her hand up to her head, feeling the temperature as a bit warmer than usual. She shook her head at the clutter sounds of pots and pans that Draco was causing.

"It's quite alright, you know. You don't have to look for it…I could just find it myself," Cho said weakly, earning complete ignorance and a disbelieving look from Draco.

She watched him for a couple more seconds before cheerfully adding, "Well, good luck, then!" She started towards the bathroom when a tap from behind and a hurried, "Wait!" followed suit. She hindered her walking, waiting for him to proceed. He began to stride in front of her, a smirk forming.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" He questioned, blocking the bathroom door securely.

Cho raised her eyebrows, "To take a shower, maybe…?"

"And you weren't going to wait on me?" Draco dramatically faked an appalled expression, earning a grin from Cho.

"Of course not! Now move out of the way," Cho crossed her arms in agitation when he didn't.

"Have you forgotten my plan of ravishing you in the shower passionately while-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Cho interrupted, lifting her hands up. "Why do I _not_ remember this plan?"

His smirk grew wider, "Why, Cho! I can't believe you would forget! Remember? We had this conversation before about how you needed a good shag…" Draco finished off, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, drawing out a hot flush from Cho.

"That conversation was years ago!" Cho huffed indignantly, eyeing him with contempt, as he mischievously leaned closer to her ear.

"Come on, you know you want to…" He pleaded, earning a smack on the arm.

"Here, how about this, I'll get in the shower with you, if you…" She leaned in closer to him, whispering her idea.

He gulped a couple of times. "A song, eh? Well, I guess I could…" He eyed her again suspiciously, wondering what exactly he would be getting into.

* * *

"Do I _have_ to do this?" He whined, pleading for escape. She shook her head, "Unless you don't want me to get in the shower with you…" He shook his head in response. 

Gulping again, he grimaced, rubbing his temples in thought and inhaled slowly, clearing his throat. Holding up a rubber duck, he looked at it with utter disgust as rolled his eyes as he proceeded to squeeze it.

"Rubber Ducky, you're the one, you make bath-time lots of fun…" He jumped around idiotically, pretending to dance with the yellow duck, holding it tightly to his chest. He looked to her again for mercy, receiving absolutely none.

Cho was enjoying this to the **maximum**.

"Sing with more _feeling_ to it!" Cho managed to say. He glared, crossing his arms and giving her an _'Are you bloody **mad**?'_ look.

She decided to drop the subject.

"Rubber Ducky, I'm awfully fond of you. Rubber Ducky, you're so fine, and I'm lucky that you're mine. Rubber Ducky, I'm awfully fond of you." He managed to choke the last part out through grinding teeth with Cho unable to hold it in, pretty much dying on the floor from laughing. It to was too hilariously funny to hold it in, causing Cho to choke after not being able to breathe for quite a while.

He threw the bright, yellow, rubber duck carelessly somewhere, rubbing his temples again in embarrassment, all the while shaking his head.

"That was a cruel, and unusual punishment, mind you. I bet you used to torture your plastic dolls and pop their heads off when you were a child…" He muttered. The only response he got was continuous laughter.

She let out a few more coughs by accident, Draco eyeing her suspiciously.

"Are you sure-" He began.

"I'll be fine," She waved him off unworried, Draco shrugged slightly and let her lead the way into the bathroom. She skipped into the tub, with a flying ease, then sat down, waiting.

"Oh, ho! So you're waiting for _me_ to take your clothes off…is that right?" Draco winked smugly at her as she rolled her eyes.

"No, and I suggest that you'd not take your clothes off, either."

"Wha…?" He looked at her oddly for a second before it dawned on him.

"But…but…Cho! That's not fair…"

She smiled broadly. "Who said it wasn't fair? I said I'd go into the shower with you, I _never_ said I'd take my clothes off."

He sighed in defeat, stepping into the shower with all his clothes on. "This wasn't exactly what I was thinking of when I was picturing you and I taking a shower…" He grumbled.

"What were you planning?" Cho asked cautiously.

"I was picturing us being more…"

She motioned with her hands, and gave him a look to tell him to continue.

He eyed her for a few seconds, before saying boldly and plainly, "Naked."

Cho blinked back at his candid statement, blushing slightly.

"I think this is perfectly fine!" She grinned mischievously, Draco eyeing her weirdly in return. She turned on the cold water and the hot water quickly, spurting bunches of water onto Draco's whole backside, causing him to yelp loudly in surprise.

"Ach! I'm all wet now!" He quickly got out of the shower, flinging his soggy shirt off and shaking off the water from himself.

"Well, you know, that _is_ the point of a shower…" Cho laughed at the sight of Draco, who looked like a wet, grumpy, dog.

He glared, wringing out his shirt while the water continued to run down. Cho sat down after turning on the water, bringing her knees to her chest, and leaning her head thoughtfully as she coughed a couple of times more. Her throat felt like it was starting to close up. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea…

She felt slightly dizzy, not understanding why. She attempted to look straight ahead, her vision failing horribly as everything looked like it was moving. Her world spun hastily…and everything became a big, messy, blurry, blob. She blinked a couple of times, the background noises canceling out everything else except for the sound of Draco's concerned voice. She saw his blob in front of her, and she made out his face by the worried expression written on it.

She could hear the beating of the steady water, reminding her of the rain, her thoughts drifting off slowly as the feeling of nothingness began to seep through her body, darkness filling her, and her sight fogging into black.

_I've given up on doing this alone now  
__Guess I failed and I'm ready to be shown out  
__You told me the way and now I'm trying to get there  
__And this life sentence that I'm serving  
__I admit that I'm every bit deserving  
__But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair_

_I gotta get out of here  
_'_Cause I'm afraid that this complacency is something I can't shake  
__I gotta get out of here  
__And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you to be my escape_

_I am a hostage to my own humanity  
__Self-detained and forced to live in this mess I've made  
__And all I'm asking is for you to do what you can with me  
__But I can't ask you to give what you already gave_

_I fought you for so long  
__I should have let you in  
__Oh how we regret those things we do  
__And all I was trying to do was save my own skin  
__But so were you  
__So were you  
__

* * *

_

**shygirl101-** …you found my fanfic too! Jeez, I'm going to need to start keeping my mouth shut at school or you guys will go on fanfiction and search me! XD Lol! Anyhow, you know how you said I wouldn't find out your fanfiction pen name? Hmmm, well, that little "hint" you gave me when you said almost the exact same thing to me in your review helped out a lot! ;D I discovered you! XD Anyway, thank you for the two reviews! XD …And if you're not who I think you are…then forget I said anything, and I apologize for confusing you…but thank you bunches for your review:D

**Laura- that asian gurl of urs-** ZOMG! LOL! You read my horrible fanfic:feels embarrassed: I still can't believe you looked me up in fanfiction dot net just to read fanfiction! This is what you call extremely bored! Thank you for your review, though! Oh no! I'm gonna get punked:cry: Lol! You person, you!

**AutumnKate-** :D Thank you for your review! You're one of the few people I know that can wait for a chapter patiently! Kudos to you! I'm a very impatient person. XD Anyway, it was a treat to get your review! Thank you again!

**StormwolfX3-** YUSH! I UPDATED! XD W000t! Anyway, yes, I think we have a little bit of an ADD problem…can't you tell? XD Do you like Starbucks coffee, by any chance? Their coffee is SO good. :D I like Chex mix. XD I don't know where that came from. Anyway, thank you so much for your review:D Sugar rushes are fun…because you have the ability to bounce on walls, if you get hyper enough. :D Also, I apologize for making you wait so long for this update! XD I'm bad at procrastinating…heh heh?

**Cho-Wood-** Thank you so much for your review! I think some of it got cut off maybe? I can only see the word "I" so I don't know. Anyway, thank you for your review! XD

**swellkisses-** Lol! Thank you for your review! I tend to skip out on homework to read fanfiction, too! XD Anyway, watch out for the next chapter!

YUSH! The fifth chapter is done:dances around: Oh, and so far, there haven't been any projects put upon me recently, so hopefully I can update longer chapters in a shorter amount of time, or something.

Oh! And my birthday's on the 25th of this month! (Uhm…I mean, of February…as you can see, I've finished this chapter a while ago, but I didn't update it until today because I ish vwerry vwerry sick…and I feel all poofie…:C) YAY:D :hands out party favors and cake to all her readers/reviewers: Thank you so much for all your support! I lurve you guys:D

Onto the sixth chapter!


	6. Reminiscing of Forgetting

**Disclaimer**- Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though it would be nice to!

Song lyrics: "Memory" by Sugarcult.

Lyrics are a good source for creating predictions and foreshadowing upcoming events and premonitions.

Remember that.

Oh, and another thing. I apologize immensely if this chapter seems rushed…because it slightly is… I got tired of not updating for so long, so I finished this chapter in haste after so much procrastination.

* * *

**  
Deceiving Appearances: Chapter 6 Reminiscing of Forgetting**

_  
This may never start  
We could fall apart  
And I'd be your memory  
Lost your sense of fear  
Feelings insincere  
Can I be your memory?  
_

_  
So get back, back, back to where we lasted  
Just like I imagine  
I could never feel this way  
So get back, back, back to the disaster  
My heart's beating faster  
Holding on to feel the same_

There was an unsettling feeling Cho couldn't quite decipher that resonated in the pit of her stomach, obtrusive and daring to expand. Without knowing what else to do to calm herself, she closed the book she was reading, careful not to disturb her sleeping roommates.

Cho glanced around idly and watched the dormancy of everything in the room. A small sigh emitted from her chest. She attempted to busy herself by carefully taking out her broom, avoiding noise as she edged toward the door, placing one last glance at her sleeping roommates, and turning off her reading light.

She managed to escape her temporary prison into the night illuminated grassy fields outside of school grounds. She slowly exhaled, watching, as her breath appeared before her in the chilly evening night. Plopping down, she threw herself back into the soft strands of deep green and enjoyed a few seconds of complete isolation. Looking up, she smiled to herself as she attempted to count the many tiny bright dots that seemed like sugar splattered against a velvety cake.

A sound disrupted her train of thoughts as two warm hands proceeded to obscure her vision. She reached up to pull them away, but the owner held steady and voiced a "Tsk". Cho sighed, swerving her mouth to the side in an annoyed fashion. "Alright, alright, Draco," she exclaimed. She reached up to move his hands, but was surprised to find that his suddenly enveloped hers and she was pulled back into an embrace.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Cho muttered, not amused.

He leaned forward and rested his head on her right shoulder, tickling her ear with his breath.

"Groping you, of course."

She could feel him grin devilishly and hastily pulled away from him, slightly annoyed by his sense of humor.

"Why don't you do me a favor and just leave? Even better yet, I'll go first!" Cho muttered sarcastically as she picked up her broom.

"Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style." Draco crossed his arms and smirked as Cho frowned, obviously pissed off.

"When will you _ever_ stop being such a big ass?"

"I don't know…when you stop looking?" Draco ducked as Cho swung her broom in full force at him. He let out a chuckle at the fact that Cho was trying to hide her amusement from his joke.

Cho rolled her eyes, turning from him to go back to her dorm…or at least somewhere far from _him_.

"Since when did you become such a priss, Chang?" Draco piped up from behind her.

Cho sighed inwardly, wondering what exactly she did to ever deserve this. "Look who's talking, prat," Cho muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Awh, is our little Ravenclaw Princess a little bit mad? Does she need her Hufflepuff hero to come save her?" Draco drawled out in a childish voice.

Stopping in her tracks, she bit her bottom lip and turned around. If there was one thing she absolutely couldn't stand, it was anyone who had the nerve to mock Cedric's relationship to her.

"At least I don't go around acting like I have a wand shoved up my **ass**!" Cho bit back furiously.

"_Excuse me_? If I don't recall, I'm not the one crying over every little thing or guy! Absolutely _pathetic_!"

"I don't run to _Daddy Dearest's_ beck and call, you…you…_muggle fucker._"

Cho paused, her anger building up like a rising volcano. Her voice lowered down to a whisper, but they still had the same effect, nevertheless. She just hoped Hermione wouldn't take offense, she really wasn't trying to be rude or mean, it was the only insult she could think of that would sincerely hit a nerve.

Draco's eyebrows fled upward, his face clearly showing surprise at the statement that had tumbled hastily from her lips. However, the effect afterward was no disappointment. His face flushed with anger, his fists were clenched as tightly as it could be allowed, turning almost translucent. His next words were slow, but dangerously so as he spoke his next words.

"You little bloody _bitch_."

However, her brain was working was functioning just fine under the angry stress, and she spit back a retort as quickly as he spit out his.

"Takes one to know one."

"Concubine!"

"Eunuch."

"Whore."

"Slut! At least I'm paid."

"Yeah, less than a pound a night!"

"Better than getting absolutely nothing, _prat_."

They started quickly down the stairs, on opposite sides of the wall.

"Hooker."

"At least I look better than you ever will!"

Draco reached a foot out and tripped her. She glared, fuming, and picked herself up. She ran up to him, shoving him into the wall.

"Ugly!" He yelled at her.

"Hideous!"

"Fat!"

She stopped, gaping at him. Growling, she threw a hex his way. He nearly got hit, but missed by a couple of millimeters from practice of dodging Ginny's daily hexes.

"Colossal pig!"

"Obese heifer!"

He took this chance to push her into the wall. Before she had a chance to retort, he yelled, "Lesbian!"

"Walking gay closet!"

As soon as the words came from her mouth, they both stopped traveling down the stairs, confused, and annoyed expressions both mouthing the same exact thing, _"What?!"_

After that moment, they glared at each other, then continued on with their ramblings.

"At least _I_ didn't get done in by a **hippogriff**!"

"That thing was _savage_, might I remind you! Besides, it nearly **killed** me!" Cho scoffed at his remark.

"I hate you, and I never want to see you again!"

"Right back at ya, princess!"

"Why don't you just drop dead?!"

"Believe me, if I could, I would. Anything to get **me** away from **you**!"

They were getting closer to the Ravenclaw dorms now, Cho hurling any nearby books she could find, and Draco tripping her whenever he got the chance.

"I'll just forget about you! It shouldn't be hard, after all, what is there to remember?"

He glared at her.

"Not if I forget about you first!"

She stopped, yelling at the back of his head. "Then we'll just **both** forget about each other, and we can get on with our lives!"

An irritable portrait began to grumble loudly and yawn. "You kids are really loud---"

Cho and Draco simultaneously turned around, bellowing a loud, "SHUT UP!" before turning back around and hastily walking forward.

As he proceeded in front of her, she took a piece of gum that Hermione had given her, chewed it thoroughly and hastily, then threw it squarely into the back of his head.

He immediately halted, feeling the back of his head, finding the piece of protruding gum stuck securely to his hair. He seethed, growling softly, then turned around. He marched up to her, ignoring her protests as he pinned her into a corner of the wall.

"_Sacred_, Chang? What are you going to do **now**, you…loathsome _monkey_?"

"Ostrich!"

"Gigantic Mammoth!"

Before she had a chance to think, the words fell out of her mouth in an instant.

"Giant…pink **elephant**!" Cho burst.

Draco opened his mouth to retort, then knitted his eyebrows in confusion, taking in what she had said. Cho blinked, feeling rather stupid. _"Giant, pink, elephant? Oh yeah, that's a definite score. Whatever happened to, 'At least I'm not extinct!'?"_ Cho let out a groan inside her head.

She looked up to see his reaction, in shock to see that his shoulder's were shaking oddly, and his face was downcast, his hair shielding his eyes.

She examined closer, looking up at him, seeing that in fact, Draco's eyes were filled with amusement, his lip bit severely. He was laughing at her!

Once he regained a bit of composure, he leaned farther down, resting his head right above hers, his soft hair tickling her face.

"_Giant pink __**elephant**_?" he asked, humor apparent in his voice.

She flushed hotly, feeling utterly stupid and dim-witted at the moment.

"I'm **so** glad that I _amuse_ you…" Cho grumbled.

Minutes passed, and the pair remained stationary, both unsure of what to do.

She looked up, realizing that after all this time, he was watching her with a look of…regret…sorrow, perhaps?

No…that was impossible.

Her eyes simply locked with his. It was so easy to drown herself in those icy pools. Before her mind could protest, she felt his hand ease down her arm, and she reached out to it, intertwining her hand so perfectly into his. His head no longer rested above hers, but inched closer downwards, and she inhaled quickly as her eyes closed. He pressed closer to her, noses touching, and his free hand holding her waist.

His kiss was strangely final, an unspoken "goodbye". His lips were softly pressed against hers, yet his kiss was not soft. It was bruising and needy, and at the same time, gentle and distant. It conveyed a raw need she felt him express…a hunger that could never be satiated, and emotions she only now could understand him feel. Confusion. Regret. Hurt. Anger. Passion.

He was really leaving her.

For what reason it could be, she didn't understand. She supposed she could believe what he told her…but for some reason, it didn't prove to be enough. Something felt missing to her…something she would never get the chance to unravel in time.

He backed away slowly, gazing into her wondering eyes. "Heh. I shouldn't have done that." He whispered to her, giving an apologetic half-smile.

As he backed up from her, he took once more glance before disappearing.

Cho slid her down the wall until she felt the cold floor against her palms. Her throat constricted, she could hardly breathe. She felt something inside her die that night, as she lie there, trying to figure out what went so terribly wrong.

The kiss itself hurt.

But what hurt more was the fact that he didn't want it to happen.

* * *

Cho forced herself up, and woke with a start. Her breathing was heavy and shallow, and her chest continued to rise and fall at a quick pace. As she observed her settings, she breathed a sigh of relief, until she noticed the sleeping figure of Draco beside her. Immediately, her discomfort and guilt seeped through her. Why did she have to remember something like _that_ at this moment?

Then Draco stirred, hearing her wake up. He rubbed his eyes sleepily with the palm of his hand and exhaled. His eyelids fluttered open, and he gave her a disoriented half-awake smile that screamed "CUTE!" in her brain. She promptly ignored this feeling and shook it away.

He closed his eyes again and pulled her close to him, placing his lips on her forehead. He received a gasp of surprised confusion until he whispered, "Well, no fever." After his discovery, he pulled up the covers and turned over with all intentions of returning to sleep.

Cho inwardly shook her head at his unconventional methods, as they clearly put her on edge. She propped herself up with her left elbow, and jabbed her finger into his back.

"Hey…" She began softly.

"Ow…" He immediately turned over with a slight wince. "Is that how you treat your savior from impeding doom?" He asked, opening one eye to look at her.

She scoffed, but gave him a thankful grin. "Thanks. So what happened, anyway?"

He flipped back onto his back and looked up at her. "Well, we got in the shower, but before all the fun started, you passed out in the tub after the water hit."

She gave no response, looking thoughtfully to the side.

"I know, I know. It's terribly disappointing to you, isn't it? I wouldn't be so gloomy though, they're always other ti-" Before he could finish, she smacked him lightly across the head, slightly amused. He grinned devilishly at her and raised his arm to protect himself from another smack. She raised her arm in a smacking position to provoke him, and he caught her hand and propped himself up with his free elbow.

"You know, since I _did_ save you and everything, don't you think I deserve a reward or something?" Draco slyly uttered.

Eyeing him cautiously, she replied, "What did you have in mind, exactly?"

He smirked in approval at her response. "Well, nothing much, really. Just a kiss."

Her eyebrows flew up in surprise, but she tried to mask her real intention of surprise with a façade of an ordinary reaction of surprise. His request reminded her too much of the recent flashback that had occurred in her blackout, and her discomfort arose again.

His voice broke her thoughts. "Awh, what is it? Scared? Don't be. I don't bite…much." He inquisitively grinned at her, and she reluctantly stared up at him.

He laughed at her coyness, not realizing her guilt, and bent down, claiming her lips. Her eyes were cast downward, and she closed them slowly, feeling troubled. The scenes of the kiss they had shared before were flashing through her head, and things felt all too much alike. His lips lingered only for a few moments, but he kept his face inches from hers. His head gave a slight turn and his eyes flickered with acknowledgement of something she did not know. She bit her lip in response; he wore the same expression he did before: his apologetic half-smile.

It was almost as if he knew what was going through her head.

But that was impossible. If she was just remembering, how could he have a clue, or even bothered to remember?

_  
This may never start  
I'll tear us apart  
Can I be your enemy?  
Losing half a year  
Waiting for you here  
I'd be your anything_

_  
So get back, back, back to where we lasted  
Just like I imagine  
I could never feel this way  
So get back, back, back to the disaster  
My heart's beating faster  
Holding on to feel the same _

This may never start  
Tearing out my heart  
I'd be your memory  
Lost your sense of fear  
I'd be your memory  
Feelings disappeared

_  
Can I be your memory?

* * *

_

**swellkisses-** Thank you for reviewing, and for the birthday wish! I'm feeling a lot better now! Hehe! I'm sorry about not updating sooner! I'm such a bad procrastinator! . I hope you like this chapter, though!

**  
StormwolfX3**- OH YEAH! I UPDATED…a lot later than usual…XD Oh boy, save me from sharp, pointy, metal objects that are bound to come my way! XD STARBUCKS:has a 'squee' attack and dies of absolute bliss from the coffee: Okay, ADD is acting up on me again. ;) Haha! Yeah, I just had to add the "Rubber Ducky" song…I mean, with Cho and Draco…there's bound to be some angst and emotion here and there, but above all, you can't skip the humor. I just couldn't help myself. Hehe. Thanks for your review:D :disappears to write more: Laura [and Jane- AHHHHHH!!! You people will be the death of me. And Jane…that was a mean trick to make me think that reviewer was you!!! Evil!!! I felt so bad because I mixed the person up with you! XD Ewwwwwww, don't tell M…ewwww, cooties major, yes? Yes. LOL! Poor twiggy. Being abused from his computer because you want to read my fanfiction…yes, I feel loved. :D BTW, thanks for the review. :D Review love. 

**  
hAzElEyEs** **-** Yay! Another birthday wish:feels special: Thank you for the review! I know the feeling, school is such a pain in the backside sometimes. Hehe! I have catch-up-days for fanfiction, too! I get so overwhelmed sometimes, that I forget what the stories were about originally. XD Haha! Don't worry, sometimes I read over my writing and think…"Jeez, I sound about 11" or "Whoa, I sound like I'm 50" XD I'm sorry you're sick! I hope you get better! (I bet you probably have, considering I haven't updated since…when? XD)

**  
Serena Goodkey** –Haha! I'm so glad you enjoyed it:D I'm glad you liked the humor! Awhh, thank you!! I'm glad you think so! I'll try really hard to go through and finish this fanfic! I'm so sorry for the huge lapse with no updates. I hope you'll continue to read this fic, though:D 

Omigod. Shit and crackers…what in the world have I been doing? I've neglected my poor fanfiction for quite too long. :pets the fanfiction: I've already partially written Chapter 10 already, (even though I skipped the chapters 7-9 XD) and yet, I didn't finish this one until…_December _of the **next year**…XD TT.TT I'm sorry to all those who have been reading/reviewing! I didn't mean for my chapter to make its appearance so tardy! I swear I worked on it though! In the beginning, right after the 5th chapter, but then I kind of…stopped.

Oh yeah…now I remember…I recently got Resident Evil 4, and I've been playing it like a mad-woman ever since. XD Leon's so purdy. Just like in Resident Evil 2. Hehe. I can't really stand Ashley though…she's kind of snobbish and…bleh. And I kinda can stand Ada Wong more…even though if you say her name really slowly, it sounds REALLY weird, but funny. Okie…I'm going to stop blabbing about Resident Evil because it has absolutely nothing to do with this fanfic…

This chapter had a lot of dialog. I mean…sheesh…I guess I'm not really used to it. Especially the name-calling. XD The name-calling was some pretty rudimentary stuff that came from the top of my head…so I apologize for its lame-ness and its shortness…

Wow…I'm feeling sleepy! All this lack of action is getting to me…I never was a patient person for things to unfold. Ah, well, looks like I'll have to manage somehow. Poor Cho, poor Draco…I'm too cruel to them. XD I should leave them alone so they can go back to their regular lives…but then there would be no story, no excitement, no twists, and no miserable characters to prod at.

Where's the fun in that? ;)

Ah, sorry for my feeble attempt to make this chapter funny. If it's not that funny, at least know I wrote most of this during the early daylight hours (and when I say "early" I mean 3:00 a.m. early) and I was on a caffeine high from coffee. Oh, good 'ole coffee.

UGHHHH I'm so excited! I have the whole fic planned out already, and I know exactly what the big part of the story is; now it's time to fill in the gaps and holes.

Read and review! It makes people happy, and the review faeries don't die! You can do it! Just chant to yourself, "I believe in reviewing, I believe in reviewing!" …Okay, enough poking fun at Peter Pan.

Sheesh, I need to seriously shut up now. I'm looking at my end-of-this-chapter-commentary going, "Holy tangerine speedos…I talk **way** too much."

Onto the seventh chapter! Oh, and a late Merry Christmas to everyone but an early New Years :D


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